1-800-I'm About- to get- Fired
by Lala7807
Summary: Bella is a preschool teacher who is a phone sex operator by night. All goes well until she meets the father of one of her troubled students, Jacob. Shit hits the fan when Jacob recognizes her voice from his late night calls to 1-800-sexi-lexi. And to say they hate each other is an understatement. But when Jacob sees improvement in his son's behavior, he reconsiders ...
1. Prologue

**Hey all! I'm reposting the prologue and the first chapter with revisions. The heaven sent Egratia is my beta! Now it's a bit more detailed/interesting. Enjoy!**

 **Prologue**

"Hello this is Sexy Lexi..." Ugh, why am I even trying to sound sexy?

"Hi there little lady." Dear god he sounds old. I'm talking at least 60.

"What's your name, Daddy?" I hope this doesn't take long.

"You can call me Arty. Take off your underwear, little lady."

"Well you're in luck big boy, I'm not wearing any."

"Ohhhhhh that's 're such a naughty girl," Ewww. I can not believe I'm still doing this.

"I wish you were here with me right now, Arty." Not! ugh I need to speed this up or else he is gonna be on this phone all night. "what are you going to do to me for being so naughty?"

"I'm gonna suck your pussy."

"Ohhhhhh yeah!"

"You like that?" I think I'm about to vomit. It's time to start the heavy breathing.

"Yesss daddy"

"Oh, I wanna fuck you so bad. Stick two fingers in your pussy. I wanna hear you scream. Uggggggggghhhh!" I'm so glad this isn't video chat.

"Oh, fuck me! It feels so good."

"Uggggh , now stick your fingers in deeper." I can't keep my eyes from rolling, this shit is gross. Does he actually think I'm doing this?

"Yesssss! Its so deep. Oh my gosh! I think I'm cuming! Oh Arty, yessss!" I'm trying so hard not to laugh.

"Oh, God shit!... uggggggghhhhhhhh damn….." While he grunts I try really hard not to imagine what is actually happening on his end of the line.

"Oh Arty, that was amazing!"

"It sure was, little lady," Ew. He's panting. Like for real panting.

"Call back soon." I mock pant.

"I sure will." *click*

Thank god that's over. I can't believe I'm still doing this shit. Once Sam gives me the full-time teaching position, I can finally quit. This $10.50 an hour is not enough. I swear I just used my Visa to pay my American Express, my American Express to pay my MasterCard, and my MasterCard to pay my Capital One.

After checking my cell phone for the millionth time, I decide it's not too late for a light snack. Popcorn or cereal? Cereal or popcorn? Cereal it is.

God I hate my life.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 : Attendance From Hell**

The stress is eating me alive. All these damn bills are going to give me a stroke. Lying here in the dark, I start to cry. Tears have been staining my pillow for the last month. Mike, why did you have to max out my credit cards? Ugh, I better stop soon or my eyes are going to be puffy at work, and the last thing I need is some kid asking me what's wrong.

The sun starts to rise, and I remember why I wake up in the morning, a child's smile. Oh, how I want one of my own, but the men never seem to stick around long enough to even discuss it. They stay around long enough to max out my credit cards and that's about it.

Heading to the shower, I almost twist my ankle. Like I can afford an ER bill. The sound of my cell phone catches me off guard.

 _You got me in chains, you got me in chains for your love_

 _But, I wouldn't change, no I wouldn't change this love_

 _You got me chains, you got me in chains for your love_

 _But, I wouldn't change, no I wouldn't change this love_

 _Tryin'a break the chains but the chains only break me_

 _(Hey, hey, hey)..._

"He-Hello," I grunt out. I really need to stop crying. It's fucking up my voice.

"Good morning old smoker! It's me, mommy. " I wonder if she knows I can tell her mouth is dripping with bullshit.

"Yeah, I know who it is. Why are you calling?" I ask rubbing my ankle and checking it for swelling.

"Well excuse me. I was just calling as a worried mother because _someone_ cut her cell phone off and wouldn't answer her home phone last night. I kept on getting this busy signal," she whined like a kid in my class.

"Mom! I told you never to call that phone. I only use it for business now!" She listens as well as a four year old, too.

"And just what exactly is this business that is only conducted over the phone at night?"

"Ah..." I stammered, "Customer service. Just don't call that phone anymore, gosh!" She can tell I'm lying. But really, It is customer service right? I'm not telling the whole truth, but I service my customers. Now I sound like a hooker.

"Are you selling Bath Salts? Bella, because Mephedrone is bad for you and it's illegal." Oh, my gosh. I roll my eyes.

"Mom! What? You sound ridiculous. I can't believe you just said that."

"Well, Good luck on your first day of school," she sings. It amazes me how quickly she can change tracks. "I hope you meet a nice rich, handsome man to pay all your bills. If you find him at the school, remember to make sure he only has one kid and either single or separated from his wife. You don't want any baby mama drama in the classroom." Why am I even talking to this homewrecker. Did she forget we stopped talking for a year after she took Donald from his wife.

"Yeah, okay, Mom. Have a nice day." I hang up before she can say anything else.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the first day of Pre K!" I say and try to sound enthusiastic for the new students and their parents. Lord knows I don't want any cryers on the first day. "In about fifteen minutes it will be time for parents to say goodbye, and then I'll take attendance."

As parents start to trickle out, I notice one girl who seems to be having trouble letting go of her father. I slowly walk my way over to the pair.

"Hi there!" I call and wave at her.

"Hi, um this is Margo." His green eyes are stunning and then he looks down at his daughter. "Say hi, Margo," he instructs her. He looks more nervous than she does. For some reason, I can't take my eyes off of him. He has nice bronze hair and a boyish quality. I force myself to look down at his beautiful daughter. She seems a bit shy, but not antisocial. Maybe I can get her to relax today.

"It's ok, we're all shy on the first day, Dad. Right Margo?" I smile down at her. She nods her head but hides her body behind his tall legs. His suit pants and loafers look expensive. Maybe he's a doctor or a lawyer.

" Sorry, um… here is her lunch box." He thrusts a Dora the Explorer soft lunch pack at me. He looks down at Margo and says, "I have to leave Margo. Be a good girl. Daddy will see you at 12:30." She looks up at him, still unsure.

I bend down to take her hand. "Lets go find some coloring books, Margo. Do you like pink?" She shakes her head, but she takes a step towards me.

"Sh-She likes green. Green is her favorite color," he offers seeing Margo's progress. Green. Just like her father's beautiful eyes.

"Ok, Mr…" I leave the sentence hanging so he can offer the answer.

"Mr. Cullen. Edward Cullen. You can call me Edward," he says. His voice is sweet, but slightly professional.

"Ok, Edward. Margo will see you at 12:30,"I assure him..

"She will be just fine," he tries to assure me. But I think it is more for himself.

"Thank you ," he says after a deep breath. He leaves the room, looking back a couple of times, waving 'bye bye' to Margo.

Once the last of the parents trickle out, it's time for attendance. My TA, Leah, hands me a sheet of paper. I blow a stray hair out of my face. We need to get through this quickly so we can get to arts and crafts for the first activity, she gives me a sympathetic look.

"Good luck Mama! Power to you," she snickers and walks back to our desk.

Here we go. "Quiet please. My name is . I'm gonna take attendance. When you hear your name, I want you to say 'Here'. Everyone understand?" A chorus of sweet 'yeses" filled the air and I smiled at them.

"Adam Toombs?"

"Here!"

"Aya Lamb?"

"Here!"

"Carolynn Schrantz?"

"Here."

"Danita Husted?"

"Here."

"Fatimah Beil?"

"Here!"

"Joni Hepworth?"

"Here."

"Jose Raymond?"

"Here."

"Kasey Rudnick? "

"Here."

"Kenneth Black?"

"Kenneth Black?" I look around. I might have to tell Leah to have the office call his parents and make sure they have him.

"Kenneth-"

"It's Kenny!" A boy yells from across the room. Gosh, here comes trouble. I was hoping I wasn't going to have trouble on the first day. Wrong. "Don't call me Kenneth. It's Kenny or KD!" He crossed his little arms across his chest and stuck his little bottom lip out.

"Ok, Mr. Black. Can you please use your inside voice in the classroom. If you would like to be called by your nickname that's fine but please ask nicely." And that's strike one for the beautiful tanned skin, baby Gap model. Deep breaths Bella… Don't lose control of your class on the first day.

"Malissa Fuss?"

"Here."

"Manuela Baum?"

"Here."

"Margo Cullen?"

"Here." Her voice is almost a whisper. Pretty Margo will have to come out of her shell. I hear the smallest hello with a small hand raised mid air. I see a lot of myself in her already. I smile at her to help encourage her.

"Martin Dunlop?"

"Here."

"Reena Paulding?"

"Here."

"Todd Ryals?"

"Here."

Thank God it's 12:20pm. I can hear the hallelujah chorus. I love my kids, but the first week is just plain exhausting!

By 12:30 all of the students are gone, except one. "Kenny, do you know who's supposed to pick you up today?" He sits quietly on the hop-scotch rug, with his head down.

"My Uncle Paul is picking me up 'cause daddy has to work late today." His voice lost its earlier arrogance and my heart melted a little bit.

"Ok, do you know Uncle Paul's phone number?" He shakes his head and looks up at me with the most beautiful pair of mocha brown eyes I have ever seen. Big and round and so expressive..

"Ok, do you know where mommy is? Maybe we can give her a call." Wrong move. His baby browns fill with tears and I quickly make my way over to him. He starts to cry even more, so I pick him up and cradle him to my chest. "What's wrong?"

"I do-don't ha-ve a mommy," he sobs out. I decide to not ask anymore questions or I was going to cry. I hold him for another thirty minutes until a tall, muscular man walks into the room.

"Ok, lets go champ. I gotta drop you off at grampa's house." This guy, I mean really. Almost an hour late and doesn't even care about his crying nephew?

"Hi, um, are you Uncle Paul?" I ask in my most authoritative teacher voice.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry for being late." He at least tried to apologize, though it didn't sound very sincere.

"Yeah, just please don't let it happen again," I say. I look down to Kenny and point towards his backpack and he runs to pick it up.

"Like I said, sorry. It was just a couple minutes." He must think his good looks excuses rude behavior.

"Almost an hour is not a couple minutes late, sir." Sometimes I think I teach adults as much as I teach children.

"Yeah, okay Lady." Mr. Rude picks up Kenny, and leaves the room.

I am so tired of rude people. I can't wait to meet Kenny's father. He needs to make better choices. The rude bastard who picked up his son is not a good example for Kenny. I jump in my blue Ford Focus and head home. I stop at McDonald's and get junk from the dollar menu. I would be lying if I said I didn't cry a little while eating it.

I dim the lights to get in the mood. I turn the ringer on for my home phone and wait for my first caller.

 _* Brrrrring! Brrrrring!*_

"Hello this is Sex Lexi…" My voice is smooth tonight. I think I've got my groove back.

"..." I hear breathing but nothing else.

"Hello…. This is sexy Lexi…"

"..." Nothing, just breathing. Creep. Well, if he wants to stay on the phone and just breathe that's fine with me. Free money!

 _*click*_ Damn it! Oh well.

 _* Brrrrring! Brrrrring!*_

"Hello this is Sexy Lexi," I croon into the phone while I pick food out off my teeth.

"Hi..." Oooooh he has a sexy voice.

"Hi there. What's your name, baby?"

"It's um, Jac-, uh Jay." Yeah, like that'll cover up your name. I roll my eyes.

" Well, hi Jay. What can I do for you tonight, babe?" Smooth as silk. Mom would be so proud.

"Um... I'm not sure...This is my first time calling," he sounded nervous. Poor guy. Hmmmm, he might be a shy one. Usually, guys like this call again after the first night. Maybe he just wants to talk.

"Thats fine. You sound really sexy tonight."

"Um, thank you…. I'm just kind of lonely. Do you think...um...do you think we can we just talk for a while?" Oh yeah I got him hooked. I can probably milk him for an hour or two tonight.

"Thats fine, baby. There's no rush..."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Look in the Mirror**

The advertisement looked interesting. They probably paid a lot of money for your time. And I thought, _Bella, doing something from home would be nice ... Maybe I should give them a call. I have a nice voice. Right?_ I stared down at the newspaper, biting my bottom lip.

 _We're looking for new voices. Live out all your wildest fantasies!_ It says next to a glamorous blonde with windblown hair. I decide to give them a call and within an hour of my phone interview, I had the job. All I had to do was fax over a copy of my hideous driver's license and I was all set.

There is a catch to this shit that I just can't get over. I have to keep the caller on the line for at least two minutes or else I don't get paid. If I alert my operator that I have a creep on the line before the two minutes is up, I don't get paid. And then there are the common safety rules like, don't give out my personal information. No matter how many times they ask you, don't give them your real name. Don't give them your address. These are all local calls and if I don't want to die, I won't give them my address. I may be asked to describe myself, but why would I tell the truth when I live in this small town. If there is one thing that I have learned is that I have to lie, lie, and lie again. Once I lie, I can't stop lying unless I want to end up speaking to a dial tone.

The first night wasn't as scary as I thought It would be…

 _I try to give my sexest "Hello" when I am abruptly cut off by some worked up asshole. I swear he gave a ten minute rant on how terrible the movie Transformers 3 was._

" _I mean every time the movie started to get interesting the scene was interrupted by loud cars smashing everything to pieces. And to add insult to injury, Megan Fox wasn't even in it. It was like she never existed!" he shrieks like it matters. But he goes on, "and Can you believe…" This guy is crazy._

 _I sat the phone down and went to get a glass of water. I pick up the phone just as he finishes his rant._

" _And that's why I hate Transformers…." His breathing is really heavy. My work is half done. He must really care about Transformers._

" _Do you feel better?" I'm almost afraid to ask. My voice is so small, I can't stay in character. I really have nothing to say about the topic. I haven't even seen the movie. Besides, I thought all men like the Transformers franchise._

" _Uh, yeah." he says sounding like he's calm now. Maybe a little bit shocked at himself._

" _You sound really sexy when you're all riled up . What's your name babe?" God this script sucks. These phrases are not really helpful._

" _Quil. What's yours?" Oh god, he really believed me._

" _My name is Sexy Lexi. But I'll let you in on a secret, my real name is Megan." I place my hand tightly over my mouth in case I burst out laughing._

" _Really?! That's awesome. Describe yourself for me." He sounds aroused._

 _I shouldn't have told him that. Why on earth did I tell that lie? Lord knows I look nothing like Megan Fox. I quickly google image search her name._

" _I have blue eyes, black hair, plump pink lips, and milky skin," I croon into the phone. Ok, at least I didn't lie about the milky skin. So what If I have dark brown hair and chocolate eyes, thats my business. Maybe I should invest in some chapstick or lip plumper._

 _Maybe I'm good at phone sex because I'm good at giving people what they want._

"Bella!... Bella!" I look up from my half eaten banana, and settle my eyes on Leah. I wish I was a pretty as her. She had those full plump lips have the perfect heart shape and her shoulder length hair is so shiny and sleek. It has so much thickness and body, and I bet it never gets greasy. Her eyes are so beautiful she doesn't even bother to wear eyeliner. Don't get me started on her perfect curves. Does she know she's perfect? I used to think I was so creepy for noticing these things, but that's what women do. Right?

"Ye-yeah? Do you need something?" I sound so pathetic.

"Are you done with the seating chart?" She looked a bit peeved while holding the stack of custom multicolored placemats.

"Uh, Yeah." I run my hands through my hair while my eyes search the disorganized desk for the seating chart. I show her the messily written map.

"I figure we can sit them this way for the first month and then we can change things around every other month." I propose. She gives me a quick nod and gets started with the placemats. I check my watch and see it's 7:30. I've got forty minutes until showtime.

"Dude, I don't know. Maybe you just need to get laid. I mean just because you have a kid, it doesn't mean you're dead or something" Paul says for the umpteenth time and should really mind his own fucking business. I start to dig through my tool box.

"Look, my priority is my son, okay? I'm not going to sleep with a random chick while my son is in the other room. And I'm not ready for a real relationship." But damn I wish Kenny had a mom. I should not have hired my friends to work at my garage. They always seem to have their nose in my business.

"Why don't you just call the Sexy Lexi phone sex chick?…" Quil blurts out. Paul and I both stop what we're doing and our eyes shift over to him. He is such a doofus. His grin fades and now he's on the defensive. "Look man, I called her a couple times and she's awesome!"

In between Paul's spurts of laughter he says, "Dude you were probably talking to someone's grandma." All three of us laugh. We all know Quil is the most naive out of all of us.

"Naw man! I'm telling you this chick is no grandma. She's gotta be in her twenties. And oh boy, does she sound sexy." He is totally telling a story. I am not convinced. We all know phone sex is for old geezers who can't get it up or just some high school creep who stole his mother's credit card. "Look Jake, we all know you're kinda lonely since the whole thing with Jessica. We just don't want you to crawl under a rock and die." Things are getting too serious. Why can't we just work without all the heavy shit?

"Look just because Jessica didn't want our kid, does not mean I'm scared of dating. I'm just not ready to date right now." Truth be told, what woman wants a ready made family? That would be a hell of a job to take on especially if she were around my age. Maybe that's what Jessica meant by when she said she was tired and needed a clean slate. I look down at my feet as I wipe the blackened oil off of my hands.

"Fine Jacob, If you don't want to take my advice that's cool. But in case you change your mind, I'm gonna just leave the phone number on your desk." Before I can protest, he heads out of the garage and to the office doors. I take a deep breath and turn back around to the fucked up Chevy Tahoe.

"Time to go to bed Kenny. You have school tomorrow. Put your pajamas on and go brush your teeth." I give him the stern tone that my father used to use with me.

" Okay, daddy. "He gives me a sheepish grin and slowly walks in his room. As he's putting on his pajamas, he yells out to me, "Do I have to brush my teeth, daddy?" He peeks outside of his bedroom door sporting his Transformers pajamas, a gift from his favorite uncle, Quil.

"Yes, Kenny." I roll my eyes as I make my way to the bathroom. As I watch him brush his teeth, he stops and looks up at me. Something is wrong. I can see it in his round eyes.

"Uncle Paul was late picking me up today." I roll my eyes, but let him continue. "Before he came to get me, I cried. I was sad." My hands ball up into fist as I cross my arms over my chest. I get irritated just thinking about something making my son cry. Take deep breaths, Jacob.

"Why were you sad?" I tense up a little. I hope it's something I can fix because I hate to see my son cry.

"'Cause asked me if my mommy was coming to pick me up, and I told her I didn't have a mommy. That's when I started to cry. Daddy, where _is_ my mommy? Why did she leave? When will she be back?"

My heart hurts as I look into his innocent eyes. I don't know what to say to him. Speechless is an understatement. "Uh, son, mommy is away. She lives in California and I don't know if she's coming back." His eyebrows furrow as if he is trying to process my piss-poor explanation. I read in some parent book or article or online somewhere to just answer questions with the simplest answer. It didn't feel like enough though, but I'd see how he did with that. As my words wash over him, he starts to break. I need to do something to save his spirit. He's quiet for a long time.

"Well, everyone at school has a mommy and I want one. Ms. Swan was nice to me. She gave me a tight hug until I felt better. Can be my mommy?" he asks and his eyes light up. His smile is as bright as the sun.

"I don't know about that Kenny." I chuckle. "Ms. Swan would have to like a whole lot."

"Why?" he asks scratching his head making a piece of his hair stick up in the back.

"Because mommies marry daddies. So if she doesn't want the job, it has nothing to do with you, okay, buddy?"

"Okay," he says and opens his mouth in a big yawn.

"Let's head to bed. I'll tuck you in." I couldn't crush his hope tonight. It would have been too much. He heads to his bed with his head down.

It's now 11:00 pm and Kenny is fast asleep. I dig in my pocket and take out the piece of paper that Quil gave me. Maybe I am just desperate but this number is looking really good to me. It's been awhile since I've had some adult female interaction.

I dial the number and seductive woman answers the phone.

"Hello this is Sex Lexi." God, I shouldn't have called.

"..." I know she can hear me breathing.

"Hello? This is sexy Lexi…"

I choke up, and press the end button. What am I doing. Was I just going to say 'Hey, I'm not in the mood for sex with a prostitute, so can I just talk to you?' Shit I don't have any other options, so I dial the number again.

"Hello this is Sexy Lexi,"

"Hi..." I'm so nervous. I have no clue what to say.

"Hi there. What's your name, baby?" she croons. Does that tone work on all men? It sounds a little forced. Shit. She wants to know my name? Why does she want to know my name?

"It's um, Jac-, uh Jay." Damn it. Jay is a stupid name.

" Well hi, Jay. What can I do for you tonight, babe?" Her voice is so smooth, I can tell she's a pro.

"Um... I'm not is my first time calling," What am I supposed to say? I am so alone in this world that I have to call a sex line.

"Thats fine. You sound really sexy tonight." Did I forget this was supposed to be about sex? Quil is an ass. Why did I listen to him?

"Um, thank you?" Shit. That sounded like a question. I'm so bad at this. "I'm just kind of lonely. Do you think...um...do you think we can we just talk for a while?" I don't think I really want sex tonight. I just need someone to talk to, keep me sane.

"That's fine, baby. There's no rush..." I'm sure there's not if you're getting paid by the minute.

"I-I really don't know what to say." Honesty is the best policy, right? Let's try some of that.

"Relax baby. What's your favorite movie?" she asks. That was easy. I could do that.

"Um, I would have to say Tomb Raider." Now I realize it a not an accurate portrayal of the video game, but Angelina Jolie did an amazing job as Laura Croft. She kicked ass in that movie!

"Thats really ironic because people tell me I look like Laura Croft." I could tell she was just trying to please me, fulfill my fantasy. I forgot that it's her job to lie to me. I don't want her to lie to me. I'm sick of everybody lying to me.

"Stop. Don't do that. Don't lie to me. It hurts when people lie to me. Just tell me what you really look like." I hear a little noise in the background like she sat something down. She pauses for a long time. "Hello?"

"I, um, I have dark brown hair that has a little red tint in the sunlight. Though, people think I don't see much of the sun because I also have really pale skin. And, my eyes are dark brown." She says it so softly, I could barely hear her on the line.

I take a swallow and gulp. "Tell me about your lips," I whisper. Why am I whispering? I wish I could see her.

"My lips are really pink because I lick them a lot without really noticing. They are a bit small but my top lip is slightly bigger than my bottom lip." She goes quiet again.

"You sound really pretty," I say back. I know she thinks she's pointing out imperfections but she sounds beautiful.

"Yeah?" She sounds shocked and unsure. I don't want her to feel this way.

"Yeah. I wish you were here with me right now." I start to get a little aroused and there is no hiding it. She is good at her job.

"Baby, I wish I was there with you." She's back to business again. I think I'm ready. "Can you unzip your pants for me? I want you to touch yourself for me." I unzip my pants and pull out my dick.

"God, your voice is so sexy. Umh." It's slips out of my mouth before I know what I'm saying.

"I'm so wet. I wanna suck your cock so bad, baby."

"Ugggggggg," I moan. My mind was working this now. "Slide your hands in your panties for me babe. Let your finger rub your clit, pretend it's my tongue."

"Ohhhhh! It feels so good Jay! I want you to put you dick inside of my mouth. I want you to put it in so deep I almost choke on your big cock." Dear lord she knows all the right things to say. My hands start to pump my dick, moving up and down.

"Oh shit my fingers are so deep inside you. I'm hitting your sweet spot baby. Open your legs a little more. I want to move faster babe." Shit, I am so hard I think I'm about to explode. Precum is dripping from my dick.

"Oh baby, I am so close! Don't stop, baby, don't stop! Jayyyyyyyy!" She's so far gone, she is yelling my name.

"I'm about to come baby! ughhhhh….. shit… I'm… I'm..."

"Oh I want you to come all over my face, baby. Make me swallow your cum." That's it! One last pump and I cum all over my stomach as I tense up on the bed. I hear her yelp on the line.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh shit!" I say with one last pump and spasm. Shit, I needed that.

"Ugh, ugh, yessssss, Jay!" She's breathing so fast and heavy. I know I made her cum. We both try to catch our breath for a minute. I can't believe she is still on the phone. A switch flips, and I realize that this isn't real. This is a farce; a lie. Subconsciously, I curl up into a ball. I don't know why, but I just start sobbing. I feel so empty.

"Baby?... Baby are you ok?" She really sounds concerned. Maybe I should just hang up.

"I," stutter," I am just so alone. I can't do this anymore. I feel so weak, like there's no way out. I am just digging myself a deeper hole that I just can't get out of." I can't stop sobbing. I need someone here with me.

"Shhhhhh, it's ok baby. Let me stroke your hair. You're fine, Jay. It's okay. Shhhhh," she croons. It's actually helping. "Just take a deep breath, breathe. Shhhhhh." I finally stop crying. I feel like a big pussy sniffling over the damn phone. I wish I could hold her close to me.

"Get some sleep baby. Call me back if you ever want to talk again. Okay?" she offers.

"Yeah. Thank you, Lexi."

"Close your eyes baby. Sweet dreams."

*click*

I doze off and don't wake up till sunrise.

 **A/N Hey guys! I hope chapter 2 was everything you wanted it to be. Comment and let me know what you think! Also do you guys want Edward to really be in this fic? Speak now or forever hold your peace! Maybe Jacob does need a little bit of competition … Let me know!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Such a Bad Boy**

" _Mike, get your shit, and get the fuck out of my house! I can't fucking believe you." Both my checking and savings have been cleaned out. There is nothing left. I run to the closet and pull anything out that's his. He needs to get his shit out of here. God, I want to burn him alive._

" _Look you knew I owed Tyler money, okay! Don't sit here and act like you didn't know I was in a bind. He was probably going to kill me!"_

" _Nobody twisted your arm, Mike. You didn't have to gamble with my fucking life savings!" I threw his goddamn Nikes and whatever else was near, at his face. "I fucking hate you!"_

" _Look, I'm sorry okay?" he asks in his whiny little voice that I can't believe didn't bother me before now._

 _Okay? Okay! I want to rip my face off. How could I have been so stupid._

" _You know what? You are such a fucking trainwreck I can't even look at you," I yell._

" _I'll just get my shit and be out of your hair," he says in a pathetic voice. He has a pitiful look on his face as he picks up his clothes off the floor. He is nothing but a fuck up._

" _GET OUT! GET OUT! YOU PIECE OF SHIT." My hands grip my hair as I yell at his retreating figure._

I open my eyes to the unforgiving sunlight. Where the hell did I go wrong in life. I always pick the wrong ones. My subconscious won't even let me forget it in my sleep. And now for Saturday: the saddest day of the week when you have no friends.

*Brrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrrrrring!*

Who the hell is calling my home phone. My home phone is for sex only! That sounds so wrong on so many different levels.

"Goddamnit! I told you never to call this number." I don't even bother with a greeting. I know it's Renee.

"Well hello to you too, sunshine! Why can't I use this number? I knew you were at home." Leah. I plop back down on my bed. It's so cold and lifeless. I need a man, bad.

"Why are you calling me?" I actually want her to call me so I won't be lonely, but I don't know why she wastes her time calling me. Mike got all the friends after the break up because he depicted me as the ranting lunatic. Which I was. I just had a good reason. But Mike has a way of putting a spin on everything. It's why I fell for him.

"Because I miss you, darling," she says in a faux British accent. "Besides, you know you don't have any other friends," she laughs as if she is kidding. I guess I'll let that slide.

"Ugh, really Leah I don't have time for this. I have stuff to do." God, I sound pathetic.

"Really, like what?" There is a long pause. I look around the blank room. Shit, I can't think of anything. "Exactly. Nothing." Why did I give her my phone number? She never calls for a good reason. "So how many calls did you get last night?"

"Leah," I say in a warning tone. I didn't mean for her to find out, it slipped. At lunch one day we were just talking about life and it felt good to talk to an adult who didn't want me to help produce an orgasm so I let it slip what I did as a second job.

"Fine I won't pry, but one day I'm gonna give you a call, and you cannot refuse me, Sexy Lexi! I want to know if you ever meet anybody on the sex line. It may be a good way to meet singles." Is she going to stop laughing? It's not a joke.

I don't say anything. I just listen to her laugh. Should I tell her about Jay? This is such a small town. What if she knows him or something. I twiddled my toes contemplating the cost and benefits. Why does she make me feel so insecure? She stops laughing, noticing my silence.

"You did, didn't you! Oh my gosh! you did!" Somewhere between her renewed laughing, I get embarrassed. Just because she can snap her fingers and get a date does not mean she can laugh at the less fortunate. "Don't tell me you're in love with him." Now she wants to get a little serious.

"N-no! Gosh, no! I just felt something, you know. Like maybe he's different. I know it sounds crazy but I felt a connection. He makes me feel beautiful." I slap myself on the forehead. What is wrong with me? I pace my bedroom floor back and forth. I hope he calls back. Maybe he felt the connection too.

"So, what was the connection? Is he into S&M?" she asks eagerly. I don't think so.

"No!" God, I hope not. We just started off slow. He was nervous. I had to prompt him.. I could tell he wanted to talk to the real me. And the sex well, I was kinda into it." I chew on my bottom lip remembering him afterwards. "We shared something special after the sex too."

"Wait we're still talking about the hotline right? What did you guys do afterwards, spoon?"she cackles at her own joke.

"We just talked a little. I was thinking about him the rest of the night. And I kinda hope he calls back."

"Man, how was it? Was she good? Did you have a good time?" Quil is so fucking frantic, he's making me get flustered. Between all the kids and the lights, I was getting dizzy and lethargic. And if I have to see another sticky piece of cotton candy get stuck to my hands , I am going to lose my mind.

"Call who?" I ask irritably. Maybe if I play stupid he will go away. I really don't want to have this conversation in a crowded Chuck E. Cheese. The last thing I need is for all of the parents to know I call sex hotlines.

"Dude! Sexy Lexi! The chick I told you to call for a good time!" And damn it if he didn't just shout it to the whole world. All the moms by the ball pit give us the evil snake eye.

" Shhhhhhhhh be quiet! Jesus do you want everybody to know? Like seriously, Quil, we are at Chuck E. Cheese." We walk over to the Jungle Gym for a bit more privacy. Hopefully all the screaming would drown out his stupid questions.

"What makes you think I called her?" I ask trying to keep up the ruse.

"Because the number was gone off your desk when I went in to finish up the Buick on Saturday," he said like I was an idiot. Shit. Who knew Quil was so observant. And fuck him for working on Saturday. I just sigh and shake my head. "So spill! I know you called her. Was it really good?" I wish this overzealous bastard would get off my back. I really don't want to think about my crying pussy-fit last night.

"Was what really good?" Damn it! Paul always shows up at the perfect time. He takes a large bite out of a slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Nothing! We weren't talking about anything. Nothing was good, okay?" Great, now they're both suspicious. Smooth, Black. They can tell I'm lying. They both give me the 'I am not buying it' look. Time to deflect, big time. "Hey, where did you get the pizza?"

"Oh over there at the purple table," he says pointing with his half eaten piece. I take this chance to escape. "Hey not so fast!" They both follow me over to the food. Fuck! I grab some without even looking or caring what I'm piling on my plate. I spot a table in the corner and head over that way. We get there have a seat and the idiots are both staring at me with these dumbassed looks on their faces.

"Yes, okay. Yeah! I called Lexi. She was cool," I admit nodding my head and stuffing my mouth with two slices of pizza.

Paul slaps my hand away, keeping me from grabbing another slice."Why do I get the feeling you're holding back."

Big mouth Quil chimes in,"because he is. It's like pulling teeth, man. Just tell us what happened."

I roll my eyes and try to think of something quick. "Well I called her. She sounded really nice, I guess. She asked me about my favorite movie."

Quil gets all excited and says, "She asked me the same thing. And, I told her Fast and Furious. So then we had a little fantasy car sex." I stuff another slice of pizza in my mouth. I better chew this one.

"Next time you should try doing her from the back. We did this motorcycle fantasy… I mean she was bent over the side and…I think she's into me man..." God I can't listen to anymore of this. It's making me sick. I bet she makes Quil feel special too, like he is the only man in the world she would ever want. I want to vomit just thinking about all the men she _services_. Was she lying to me? Of course she was. It's her job.

I can't believe I'm calling her again. Maybe I should just hang up and meet a real woman. I mean she is a real woman. But like one that is actually in the same room.

"Hello, this is Sexy Lexi." Fake, fake, fake. Why am I getting sucked into this bull shit. This is her job. It's just a job.

"Hey," I try. Now I sound a bit irritated and dry.

"Jay?" My stomach drops. She remembers me?

"Uh, yeah. Hey." Shit, I already said that.

There is a long pause on her end. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm good," I end lamely. I don't know what to say to her.

"I missed you," she says. This shocks me. She said she missed me. Did she feel it too?

"I was thinking about you all day." Did I just say that out loud? Shit! She's going to think I'm a creep. Then I remember Quil retelling his interactions and I get angry. I blurt out "Why do you do this?"

"Do what?" She sounds confused and a little afraid like she pissed me off, like she did something wrong.

"Do this. The phone sex. Why do you do the phone sex?" I'm seething.

It takes her a long time to answer me.

"Hello?" I say.

"Because I'm good at it," she finally answers.

What? She says it as if it's a good reason. Like I'm the one with the problem.

I'm so upset, the next thing I know, I'm yelling into the phone. "Because you're good at it? Unbelievable! Are you serious? What kind of sick shit is that? How many men do you talk to a day? You know what, don't answer that!" I'm so upset that I hang up the phone .

Jesus, whats wrong with me? She has to make a living. And she's not _really_ sleeping with the people who call her. I just hate that she shares something so intimate with anyone and everyone who calls. She probably really needs the money. Shit, I'm a douche. I take a deep breath and find myself calling her back.

It takes a long time for her to answer the phone. When I hear her pick up the phone, I blurt out, "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

I hear her sniffling over the phone. Shit. "It's fine," she sniffles. "I am just a little emotional tonight. That's all." I think she blows her nose. Shit. I. Am. A. Douche.

"No. I'm sorry," I say. "It's just I don't want you to say, um," I stutter, "to me,um, what you say to everyone else." God I sound like a pussy. "I want you to be real."

"I am real! This is real!" she sniffled again. Then she blew her nose again. "You think I'm lying to you?" Fuck! Now she's crying again. I don't want to make her cry, ever.

"Shit! Baby I'm so sorry. We haven't even seen each other, and I'm putting all this pressure on you." Maybe I am going crazy. This got really serious, really fast. "I just want to hold you," I say getting an idea. She does this for other people, maybe I do this for her. "Don't cry, baby. Pretend I run my hand down your back. Can you do that?" I ask.

"Yes. I really want to feel you," she whispers. "Your hand finds the skin of my back . Let your hand run back and forth. Reach around the front. I want to feel you, just skin. I want to feel your lips everywhere."

"Let me kiss your lips, down to your neck, shoulders, let me taste you, baby." I whisper into the receiver. "I lick my way down to your breast, feel your heartbeat against my palms. Oh I want to suckle on your sweet nipples."

She exhales deeply. "I want to feel your weight on me. I don't want any barriers between us as you fill me up."

"Will you let me make love to you?" I add to our new fantasy. "I want to feel your lips quiver as you say my name." _And only my name. I want it all._

"I want it all," she whispers back. "I want to look deep into your eyes as you move inside me. I want to feel you."

"Where, baby?"

"Everywhere. Just deep, so deep inside my pussy. I want to look into your eyes as you come inside me. I want it all."

 **A/N: I hope this chapter was just as good as the last! I would love to hear more comments and suggestions from you guys! Edward will make an appearance in the next chapter! And If anybody wanted to know, my writing playlist includes the Alabama Shakes, AlunaGeorge, and Sia.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much to Lady of Spain aka Star for making the banner! I hope this chapter adds dimension to the characters in this story. I love the feedback/questions that you guys have been giving me. Your comments really help me write this story!**

 **Chapter 4: I Should've Quit Weeks Ago**

I've been crying all night. This is wrong, so wrong. I'm breaking all the rules and it's getting too personal. I don't even know what he looks like for Christ's sake. First he says he thinks about me too, but then he hangs up on me? Am I just a toy to him? I guess I am running a phone sex line, so yes I am just a toy to him. But it didn't feel like it. Shit.

He doesn't know anything about me. Hell, we don't know anything about each other. He thinks I am a dirty prostitute because I service men over the phone? I feel so low, so rough. Am I to be ashamed that I am good at giving men what they want? Like, I should be washing _his_ feet with _my_ hair. All I do is cry over men. _He_ called a sexline looking for fresh, innocent truth. I rub the tears out of my eyes, the lids already starting to swell with the reflection of my low self esteem. Am I worth nothing?

I decide to take a shower to cool my head. When my hands and feet start to prune, I shut the water off and walk back to my room wrapped in a towel. The full length mirror in the corner of my room catches my eye and I slowly walk towards it. With my feet still wet against the wooden floors, I shed my towel and take a look in the mirror. I have nothing to bare. I have nothing left but a small nipple ring on my left breast. The water from my hair drips down my onerous back. What do I have to offer a man other than what is between my legs? Nothing. It all looks the same.

"Kenny, No!" I call, trying to keep my voice kind. Jesus Christ, I go into a daze for one minute and the next thing I know, there is an uproar in the classroom. Where the hell is Leah when I need her! Crayons and markers have been thrown everywhere. The whole class is watching us, just laughing. "Kenny you can not throw markers. _Please_ have a seat," I plead with him. He looks at me and considers me. I can see it in those expressive brown eyes.

He finally stops the throwing and walks over to me as the class settles down. I can see something is wrong with him he seems distant and a little upset. I kneel down to his level and speak as low as I can.

"Kenny it's snack time. Did you bring a snack today?" I ask, trying to give him something to be excited about. All kids like snack time. He looks down at the floor and shakes his head. "Where is your lunch box? I thought I saw you bring it in." He slowly walks to his cubby, grabs his Transformers lunchbox, and heads back around to me. I ask him to open it and tell me what he has.

"I have a ham sandwich and grape juice." I look in to see a piece of white bread folded in half, with a piece of ham stuck in the middle. I see him glance at Margo's colorful containers that represent all the appropriate food groups. "Daddy says he forgot to go grocery shopping." His doe eyes look up at me and I swear I see an angel.

I grab his sweetie pie face and say, "Well we will have to do something about that, now won't we." I take his hand and we walk over to my desk. "Would you like some apple slices and goldfish, or maybe graham crackers?" His eyes light up and he nods with appreciation.

He does something that I was never prepared for. I'm not even sure I hear him correctly but he barely whispers, "Thank you, mommy." And runs fast as lightening to his assigned seat next to Kasey.

My heart starts to race, and I don't know how to feel. Do I just ignore it, pretend it never happened? My train of thought is cut short when Margo rushes over to me with a bloody nose. I give a little "Ut oh" and pinch her nose while tilting her head slightly forward. Jeeze, this has to be the third time this month!

She gives me an embarrassed look and then diverts her eyes with a gentle "Sorry, ." She's so sweet.

"It's ok Margo. Just breathe through your mouth while I hold your nose. Maybe we can talk with Dad about this."

Edward comes to pick up Margo and she's very happy to see him. He has a pair of scrubs on, must be a doctor. My mom would love everything about him. He's tall, young, a doctor, and most importantly, not married. _How is that even possible?_

"Daddy, daddy!" She runs over to him and jumps into his arms.

"Hey Margie baby. Ready to go?" He lets her down and she runs over to her cubby to get her Hello Kitty backpack and lunchbox. I take that as an entrance to interrupt.

"Margo has been getting a lot of nosebleeds lately. I was going to ask you If you could bring her a few shirts to keep in her cubby. And if you can make sure her name or initials are on the inside, we can make sure they get back home safely," I suggest with a smile. I rock back and forth in my clogs, my arms crossed behind my back.

"That's fine, . I will place them in a little shopping bag for tomorrow. I'll have Margo put them in her cubby." He looks over at his daughter like she's a prized possession.

"Sure that's fine. Have a good day ." Margo is standing by the legos, talking to Kenny.

"Please call me Edward," he smiles. Before I can turn back around to my desk he reaches for my hand and draws me a little closer. "Um, I know this may be odd, but do you want to go out for coffee?" His voice is low, but very certain. Here we go. Keep it professional, Bella. Ignore the butterflies in your stomach and keep it professional. He probably just wants to sleep with me anyway.

"I don't know about that , I mean, Edward. I'm Margo's teacher," I try to laugh it off. I wish he wasn't so serious. If he only knew what I did as a second job, he'd run the other way. I take a deep breath and try to think of a way to turn him down nicely.

"Yeah and Margie thinks you're great," he says with a coy smile. "And I would like to see for myself. You're a very beautiful woman, . I want to get to know you. Please join me for coffee this weekend." He seems like a nice guy. That'd be a switch; I guess it wouldn't hurt. I look down at the floor and focus on his electric blue pair of New Balance running shoes. He follows my line of sight and laughs. I blush and quickly look away.

He runs his hands through his golden copper locks of hair and gives me a lopsided smile. "Margie picked them out."

I couldn't resist a good laugh. I giggle a little bit and finally give in. "Okay." What the hell?

"Okay? Really, okay thats great. Does Saturday at 10:00 good?" He seems a bit shocked, but excited.

"Yeah, that sounds great. We can meet at the Little Goat Bakery on the corner of Hubbard street." Now I'm excited just thinking about all the treats and the possibility of taking home a nice box full of goodies even if the date turns out shitty.

"That sounds great. I'll see you then. Um," but before he can say anything else, Kenny knocks over a whole tub full of legos.

He looks up at me and gives an empty look and a hollow sorry before he gets on the floor, and slowly starts to pick them up one by one. I turn towards Edward with an apologetic look.

I give him a weak look. "I should probably go tend to the mess."

"Yeah, I'll just get your number from the school directory. Have a nice day," he says looking pleased. He takes Margo's backpack and leads her out of the room after a quick 'bye bye'.

I turn back to Kenny and take a deep breath. Life with this kid is a roller coaster. I slowly walk over and get on my knees to help him put the legos away. I pause for a moment and ask him, "Do you wanna tell me why you knocked over the tub of legos?"

Like a dam bursting he starts to cry violently and says, "Because you're supposed to be my mommy! You're supposed to like _my_ Daddy!" Oh. That was unexpected.

I take him into my arms and start to rub his back. He wants a mommy. He hates the silence and starts to sob even more. I pick him up and hold him tight. He is soaking through my shirt, but I couldn't care less right now. I walk us over to my office chair and have a seat.

"It's okay baby, I'm here. Shhhhhh you're fine, just breathe. Take deep breaths, baby." He actually listens to me and after a good cry, he falls asleep in my arms. He looks so sweet I can't bare to put him down. Looking at the clock, I notice Uncle Paul is now an hour late. Kenny tightens his arms around my neck a murmurs mommy into my chest, melting my heart. I take a sniff of his hair and smell fall springs and a hint of mint. His neck smells like honey and lavender. I close my eyes for a second, and then hear footsteps.

And here he is, pitiful Uncle Paul. He actually looks concerned. "Hey, sorry I'm late. What's going on?" he asked looking at Kenny, concerned.

To say I get a little upset is an understatement. "You tell me!" I loudly whisper. "Kenny has been in bad spirits, hasn't had a proper lunch in school, and may I add being picked up later and later everyday. Children need structure that Kenny is obviously not getting. To add insult to injury, I have yet to meet his actual father."

He lifts his hands in the air and says, "Hey lady he's not my son but his father, Jacob, has been really busy," he tries to defend. If this guy is the best Kenny's dad can do, I really wanted to see what dad was like.

"Will you please tell to get _unbusy_ and be here tomorrow to pick up his son because we need to have a serious talk!" I let out a deep breath I didn't realize was holding. Whew that felt good, almost liberating.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles and takes a sleeping Kenny into his arms. "I'll make sure Jacob shows up tomorrow." He gathers up Kenny's things and leaves.

I run my hands through my hair and smooth my blouse and skirt. Now I have to go home and think about what I'm going to say to Kenny's _father_. Great, me and my big mouth are about to open up a can of worms.

"Look man, your kid is having problems at school. You gotta go and pick him up from school tomorrow. is getting _fed up_ ," Paul says using little finger quotation marks. "Be ready 'cause everytime I see her she's got her panties in a bunch. She's hot, but a total bitch."

"Problems? What type of problems?" I open the swing door a little wider and take my son out of his arms. His little face looks so tired and stressed out. Damn, my son can't even sleep in peace.

"Something about him being a cry baby. Look dude, you need to toughen him up or something. Everytime I pick him up he has an issue. I think he's too soft." I ignore his last statement and turn my back to him.

"Sure, sure. I'll go up there tomorrow. See you in the morning." I close the door with my foot and head to Kenny's bedroom.I lay Kenny gently on his bed as I undress him from his school clothes and put on his grey pajamas. I guess if he wakes up he can have dinner, but for now i'll just tuck him in.

It's been two hours and Kenny is still asleep in his room. Maybe I should talk to someone. I'm feel more and more alone everyday. I take my cell phone into my room and close the door behind me. This is going to be a long night.

The salt from the popcorn makes my lips swell and turn red. I can't get Kenny off my mind.. As twisted as it may sound, I would give anything to hear him call me mommy again. I can't keep from smiling. Mommy, I would love to be his mommy. Getting him ready for school, making him breakfast, packing his lunch, I would have a purpose in life. Then I return to harsh reality. Who would ever see me as a mommy? I'm an unaccomplished teacher who moonlights as a phone sex operator. It's almost time for my endless shift on the phones and I'm already tired of being awake today.

I've had 19 calls tonight, and I haven't heard from Jay yet. Did he change his mind? Do I still disgust him? I probably wouldn't talk to me either. Who wants a whore as a girlfriend. Well, I have twenty minutes till I'm off the clock.

*Brrrrrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrrrrring!*

My heart drops to my stomach and I hold my breath. My heart starts to race and I shakingly pick up the phone and hold it to my ear. I try to compose myself before I say "Hello, this is Sexy Lexi." There is a long pause. I hold my eyes shut tight and bite my bottom lip.

"Hey," I hear and my heart thuds, "it's Jay." My smile is wide.

"Hey baby how are you? I wasn't sure you were going to call."

"Why wouldn't I call you? I told you I need you." He is lying. He doesn't need me he just wants to get his rocks off.

"Why would you need a whore?" I blurt out. Woah, what's wrong with me? Why can't I just accept his companionship while it last. I always want more than I can have.

"You're not a whore to me. I want to be with you. All this other stuff doesn't matter to me." He takes a deep breath and just starts rattling off, " "Look, I'm a lonely twenty-five year old single father who just needs someone to talk to."

"Why are you telling me this?" I say,, a little upset because I know exactly why he told me this. He wants me to break all the rules. He wants to know who I am. "I already told you what I look like and that was breaking the rules. You know my job won't allow me to disclose any of that information." I feel so cheap right now. My John for the night wants to know everything about me. I'm falling for a John, I mean Jake. I'm about to break the rules for a guy who pays me for phone sex.

"Give me something, please. I'm falling for a woman I know nothing about," he sounds so helpless, so I give in.

"I'm twenty four years old. I live in the house my dad left me in his will. I don't have any children but I want at least four. And you already know what I do for a living." I shut my eyes and pray he doesn't ask me for my name.

"What's your real name?" Shit, shit, shit. Damn it, Bella, just think of something. Say anything. Ugh, do I want him to know my name? I hold my breath and just let the chips fall where they may.

"You can call me Belle." That's good enough. Technically, it is my name. It's a nickname. Right?

He seems confused or disappointed. "Belle." That is all he says.

"Yes, Belle." That's all I'm willing to give up right now.

"Is it short for something?" Now he's prying. I wish he would just stop digging. He knows I'm breaking the rules.

"Maybe." These one-word answers have to be a hint that I wont be telling him anything else tonight.

"Well, Belle, I'm one of the worst single parents ever," he confesses as he exhales.

"And why is that?" I ask, trying to show some sympathy.

"Because my child is apparently a little troublemaker in school. I have no clue if he's been fighting or just not being cooperative in class, but I have to go face the music tomorrow. I heard his teacher is kind of a bitch but I'm going to go into the class at 12:30 with an open mind. I'm just so tired. I mean, if it's not one thing, it's another." Wow he's long-winded today. Too bad my shift is over and it's almost my bed time. Wait did he say 12:30? Did he say his son is not doing well in his class? Dear God there are only two preschools in town. _Jay, Jake, Jacob._ Something clicks in my head.

"Um, How old is your son?" I take a big gulp. I think I'm starting to sweat.

"He's turning five in December. Why?" Oh, shit my life is over. "I wish you could see him. People stop me in the street and tell me how beautiful he is." I think I'm starting to hyperventilate. "His friends call him KD." Ok, now I'm having a panic attack. I can't breathe.

"Uh, um, Ja-Jake ca-can I call you back," I stammer like an idiot. "I uh, it's my bed time and we've went forty minutes over my shift." I hardly wait to hear him answer.

"Yeah sure, I'll just call back tomorrow," he says, kind of hurt and put off. What am I supposed to do tomorrow?!

"O-okay bye!" I slam the phone down to the receiver.

Bella what have you done? You should have quit this job when you had the chance. Now you're gonna get fired and your life is going to be over. To say this phone sex line is a breach of conduct is an understatement.

I lay in bed with my eyes wide open, crying until I faint from the stress and loss of oxygen. Tomorrow is the beginning of the end. How could I have been so stupid? _Jay, Jake, Jacob._


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: A big thanks to Amanda, Jarms, and Mist for the crazy late night chat! You guys really helped me get through this. I have to remind myself this is supposed to be fun! Thank you so much to the best most genius beta ever, Egratia, and the analyzing butterfly, Tonyamic10. This story came to life because of you two. This chapter was the hardest one to get through, so far… Let the madness begin!**

 **Chapter 5: Bad Mommy**

I stand in front of the mirror and smooth out my yellow dress. Maybe if I look good he'll go easy on me. I take a little bit more time to curl my hair and step into my brown clogs. On my way out I grab my umbrella from the hall tree and look into the mirror for the millionth time. Maybe if he doesn't recognize my voice, I'll be ok. Who am I kidding? This town is too fucking small.

"Hi, I'm ," I practice. Ugh too pitchy. I'm gonna have to work harder to alter my voice. If he finds out it's me, I'm going to get fired. Take a deep breath, lets try it again.

I clear my throat, "Hi, I'm ." Shit, thats too low. I sound like an old smoker. I give up. I'll just pray that I'm not exposed in front of an audience. I hope I can keep it together the whole day.

I look around to make sure Quil's nosey ass isn't in sight. The last thing I need is for Quil to tell people I don't know how to take care of my son. "Embry, I need you to stay take a late lunch today. I need to pick my son up from school and have a talk with his teacher."

"Why?" He closes the hood of the buick. He grabs a rag off the off his hands, he looks up at me. " Did he get into some trouble?" Damn why is he asking so many questions.

I roll my eyes and take a deep breath. I might as well just tell him, "I have no clue. Paul drops him off talking about he's a cry baby and the teacher is a bitch. Which is all probably a lie because we all know Paul is an asshole. It's like I can't catch a break."

"Yeah, alright man. Next time just ask me to pick him up. Paul told me she was kinda hot. Do you mind If I , you know, see what she's about 'cause if she got Paul all huffy, she might be my type." I try to keep from rolling my eyes because I really need him to help me out.

"Whatever, just take my shift tonight and you can replace Paul. I really don't need anymore problems at the school." I head back to my office to make a few calls. I take a seat behind my desk and just lean back to close my eyes for a minute. I wish I could just talk to Belle right now. I need someone to just listen to me, help me raise a child. I feel like I know nothing, like I'm failing at life. I'm going to ask her for her real number tonight and I hope she gives it to me. I really need her. I've never shared a connection like ours with anyone else, not even Jessica. She seemed ok when I told her about Kenny.

*Brrrrrrrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrrrrring!*

"Black's Auto, This is Jacob." I open the appointment book and grab a pen.

"Hey son, you busy?" I threw my pen down on my desk and lean back in my chair. I just take a deep breath and listen. This is going to take a while. "Good. Listen, I want you to bring my grandson over today. I see you every morning and you never bring him with you anymore."

I rub my hand over my face and I turn my chair towards the wall behind me. "Look dad, you know he can't come in the morning. He's in preschool now, and speaking of preschool we can't come today. I have to go to a meeting with his teacher."

"And why is that, Son?"

"I really can't even tell you. Paul picked him up from school talking about he's causing trouble and how much of a cry baby he is. I don't know if he's just giving the teacher a hard time or if he's fighting." I hold my eyes tightly shut and wait for the inevitable criticism.

And here it comes. "I know you're trying to do your best but you need some help with him. Now you're telling me he's getting in trouble. He needs a mother. When you were that age Sarah used to knock some sense back into you and find out what's wrong. Maybe you should ask Sue if she can help you out with him."

I'm starting to get angry. Every time Kenny comes up he tells me I need to give up. I had to remind myself that I was in the garage when I start to hiss at him,"C'mon dad you know I'm not giving up my son. I'm not going to abandon him like Jessica. That's _my_ son and whenever I find the right woman to complete my family I will let you know."

He takes a pause and renews his attitude,"Alright son, no need to get worked up. You better bring him tomorrow have no excuse tomorrow is Saturday. Sue is cooking a feast for everyone. Sam is bringing his new girlfriend over and her friend. Of course Embry, Paul, and Quil are coming for the free meal. And if you were smart you would try to get to know this friend she speaks so highly of. So bring your ass and my damn grandson or you're going to be hearing a lot more out of me."

I surrender, breathing into the phone,"Sure,sure alright dad. We'll be there a little early. Talk to you later dad." I hang the phone up and get ready to head over to the school. I grab my keys and head out to my Tahoe.

I look at the clock in my car and it's 12:20, and I can't avoid this anymore. It's time to face the music. This is my son and I have to take responsibility. I'm shocked Kenny's behavior has not gotten back to Sam since he's the principal and all.

I walk through the door and run into Leah. I haven't seen her in years. "Oh hey, Leah. What are you doing here?" I ask. Recognition crosses her face as it registers who I am.

She laughs and gives me a deliberate look,"I work here, Mr. Smartass! How are you?" She places her rather heavy tote bag on the yellow and white linoleum floor.

I give a half hearted laugh and divert my eyes,"I'm great. I didn't know you worked here." I place my hands behind my neck and grip the nape of my hair.

She places a hand on her hip and tilts her head,"Yeah I've worked here for three years now. Sam did me a favor and got me the TA job. You know I just moved back, but I'm staying near the marina. It's beautiful up there."

"Oh yeah that sounds great. Listen, I know this sounds bad but I have no idea where my son's classroom is. Do you know where 's class is?"

"Yeah ,yeah. I'm her TA. She's in room 214, right around the corner and to the right." She gives me another penetrating look, like she's just figured something out and pickes up her bag again.

"Thanks Leah. I'll see you at the dinner tomorrow?" I ask, putting this together with the earlier conversation with my dad.

"Alright see you," she confirms. She tugs her tote bag and roller bag out the double doors without looking back.

I run my hands through my hair and get ready to meet this that Paul is always complaining about.

I follow a couple of the other parents and head inside the room. All the kids seem to be mellowed out. My eyes search around the room and find Ken playing with a couple of toy dinosaurs on the bright green rug in the corner. And then I see her. She's glowing and I swear I hear angels singing. No wonder Kenny fell in love with her. She has the most beautiful curly brown hair. She has a slender body _and_ a nice ass. When she bends over to grab a stray marker, I can't help but to follow her with my eyes and a slight tilt to the right. She turns around to me and it's like we are the only people in the room. Her big brown eyes are framed by the longest lashes and her lips, her pink lips-she must lick them a lot. They look nice and swollen. I can just picture them around my-

"Hi," she says. "You must be ." She sounds so nervous, almost like she's seen a ghost. I try to swallow but my throat is too dry.

I twist around to see all of the others have cleared out. I stutter, "Sure, sure you can call me Jake." And then I realize I've heard her voice somewhere before. "Uh, have we met before?"

Her face looks so ashen, I start to get a little concerned. She rushes, "No. No, I don't think so." And then it clicks. The hair, the eyes, the lips, the voice-it all comes together in my mind.

"Belle?" I ask before I realize it's out of my mouth. This town is too fucking small! You know a town is too small for you when your son's teacher is your damn phone sex operator. FUCK!

I can see it all over her face. It's her, I know it's her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about," she stammers, biting on her pink, plump bottom lip. She's a horrible liar.

I start to speak a little louder than I intend, "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Lexi!" I realize it's all a lie. Even her glow is a farce. I take a closer look and it's only smudges of silver glitter glue.

She starts to unravel right in front of me. She's on the brink of tears choking back a cry, "Okay,okay! Just please calm down. Please don't do this in front of Kenny," she pleads.

I look around her to see a wide eyed Kenny, frozen in place with a dinosaur in each hand. I try to calm down and breathe in and out a couple of times but it's not really helping.

Kenny slowly walks over to stand behind Belle and grabs her left leg. He looks up at me and squeals, "Why are you yelling at mommy? You're supposed to love her! Stop being mean Daddy." And then the waterfalls start. Wow, he really does cry at the drop of a hat.

She gives me a nervous look and picks my son up explaining. "That's what I wanted you to come and talk today. This happens everyday." She starts to rock him back and forth giving me a judgemental look and it sets me off.

"Mind your own business Belle, if that's even your real name!" I hiss, taking another look at my son who's clinging to her. How dare she! I am doing the best I can and she's judging me. She has no idea what it's like to be a single parent. I have to provide for my son, and try to give him all the love he needs. How can she expect me to take the place of two parents. She has no idea how easy it is to make mistakes when you have no help.

She steps a little closer to me. She's getting a bit heated. "It does become my business when he comes to my class by himself every morning, has an unbalanced lunch, and may I say a slice of bread and ham is not a lunch. Oh and don't let me forget about the -" she covers Ken's ears, "asshole who comes to pick him up late everyday. Don't you dare tell me it's not my damn business." Kenny starts to cry even harder, tightening his arms around her neck. "Look at the chaos and turmoil you put him through. I can only imagine what it's like at home."

She turns her back to me and walks further into the classroom and tries to calm Kenny down.

"Mommmmmyyyyy!" He is crying so hard he starts to slobber and snot at his mouth and nose. His face is so red, I'm not even sure he's breathing. He buries his messy face into her bare chest but she didn't seem to mind. "Mom-mommmmmyyyyy!" He goes on and on garbling unintelligibly.

"Shhhhhhhhh, it's ok baby. I'm right here, shhhhhhhhh." She grabs a tissue out of the box and gently wipes his nose and mouth. "There, isn't that better?" She takes another tissue and dabs at his eyes. They share some unspoken conversation when their eyes meet, and I start to feel like I'm intruding on a private moment. He gives her a weak nod and goes back to burying his face into her chest with one hand in her hair and another wrapped tightly around her neck. She hugs him even tighter and rubs his back until he starts to calm down. This is horrible. I can't even get his mother to come back. He has to hustle his way into the arms of a teacher.

What's going on here? I bust my ass everyday at work and come home every night and my son never does this. She's known him for a few weeks and he's already calling her mommy. Somehow he has a connection with a stranger. This bull shit, pure bull shit. Why on earth does he keep calling her mommy. He is so attached to her, you would think she actually is his mom.

Does he think that I don't _love_ him? This is so embarrassing I have no idea what to say to her. "Look Belle-"

She turns back around towards me, holding on tightly to my son. "Bella", she corrects me. Her voice sounds like sweet,warm honey, so sweet I almost get stuck clinging to her imploring eyes. I take a mental step back, things are getting saccharine. I need to leave before she sticks to every facet of my life.

So she lied to me about her name too? "Sure, sure - Belle, Bella, whatever your name is, I have no clue why he is calling you mommy. You already know I'm a single dad though so," I run my hands through my hair, "he is just having a problem adjusting to the fact that his friends have a mom but he doesn't. I am really sorry about that."

"It's fine," she placates, "um don't worry about it. He is such a sweet boy, and he's not causing any harm." She refuses to make eye contact with me. It makes my chest tighten. Why does she lie to me? Is she lying about everything? One minute she's calling me a horrible father, and the next minute she says she does not mind. What the fuck?

I look at my son who has fallen asleep in her arms. Maybe I can't give him everything he needs. Maybe I'm not really good at this. I reach for him and take him in my arms. I swear there was some sort of heat or electricity when our hands touched that jump started my heart and made me feel something inside. What do I say to her? Do I just leave and not say anything to her. I'm going to have to see her a lot more, she is my son's teacher for Christ's sake. I look into her eyes and see grief. I feel horrible for fighting with her. I can tell she was just trying to help. Could I really turn my back on everything we shared? "Um, I'm just gonna take him home." This is too much to bear. I'm on my way out he door.

"Wait! Is that it? I mean are you ever going to call again?" she asks nervously. Does she think I'm just going to keep paying her for her _services_? I guess my phone bill is the way to her heart.

"Are you kidding me?" I almost shriek, but quiet down so I don't wake Kenny. "I should report you to the school board! How can you look at yourself in the mirror? You come in here everyday as a teacher and go home as a hooker, or something," I spit at her. " And then you tell me I'm a deadbeat father? Do you really think I want anything to do with you? Did you really think I wouldn't find out that you've been lying to me this whole time?" That last part must have cut deep. I can see the tears pooling in her eyes.

"God, please don't report me," panic lacing her voice. "This has nothing to do with my teaching children. This is something else, something personal. It's none of your or the school's business what I do after hours to make ends meet. You don't understand the emotional toll a job can take on you. Do you know how many creeps call my line every night?"she asks. So now I'm a fuckin' creep. "I mean no not you, you're fine, cool, and stuff. It's not like that. I, shit, I'm- I never lied to you," she declares, "I just didn't tell you everything. I am really sorry I said those things about you. I don't know what you're going through right now."

I think I'm being too harsh on her. She could probably be in some serious debt. I can't take this. I can't even trust her. Can I really say everything she tells me is the truth? I can't gamble with my son's emotional well being. "Sure,sure. I'm just going to leave. This never happened, okay. Let's pretend none of this ever happened." I take my son and his things and run out of the classroom like a little bitch. I need to forget about Belle- Bella.

I sit on the edge of my bed waiting for my world to end. Covering up all the mirrors in my room is not enough to keep the feelings at bay. My last bottle of cheap wine only makes me cry harder into the dark. I don't answer any of my calls. I hope my frequent clients can forgive me.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I wanted to do something really flirty with this chapter. I shuffled around my ipod and found some writing gold, Corinne Bailey Rae. I especially like listening to her song "Closer" during the bakery scenes. I hope you guys have as much fun reading this as I did writing it!**

 **Chapter 6 :I Must Know Everyone in Town by Now**

"Okay so explain to me again why your son has two different color socks on. I'm just not catching on." Dad rolls down the hallway into the living room.

I take a deep breath, "Is it really that serious? I told him to put some socks on so we can leave, and he couldn't find a match to either one so here we are." I look down a Kenny's red and purple sock. I need to do better. I'm starting to slip up.

"So you left it up to a five year old boy to dress himself.", disapproval clear across my dad's face. He looks down at Kenny who is sitting next to him with his toy transformer. I roll my eyes and head to the kitchen for another slice of chocolate cake. I love chocolate cake. I wish a had a woman to make me chocolate cake. I need to get laid. Ugh what's next, crying after the next bite?

"You know, sweets ruin your appetite." I turn around to see Sue taking a roast out of the oven.

"Hey Sue,having a good day?" I skip over her remark. She seems really happy with my dad. I've never seen her smile so much.

"Yeah, today is a great day. What about you?" I don't know how to answer that. Does she know my family is falling apart.

"Things have been better." It's best to just leave it at that. I refuse to give away my son. I don't care how loving and knowledgeable Sue is. Jessica already abandoned him and I refuse to do the same.

"Well, have you heard from you know who?", she whispers as she comes a little closer to the kitchen table. Why is it that everytime we talk, the focus is on me. I'm starting to think that they have nothing else to do but talk about me.

I take a deep breath, truthfully answering, "No, not lately. She only calls when she's drunk or broke and it's always from a blocked number." I divert my eyes back to my chocolate cake and take another bite. Should I get another slice? "Man, who made this cake? It's the most delicious thing ever." It wasn't that the cake was so good. I already knew the answer.

"Oh, Seth made it! He said he couldn't come today, but he dropped off this cake. I told him he works too hard over there at that bakery of his but he doesn't listen. I swear all he does is stay in the back of that shop baking day in and day out. You know he still does not have a girlfriend. I can't believe he's twenty three already. He is starting to look more and more like Harry. You know Leah is supposed to be coming by with her new friend that she works with. Her and Sam are back together. I don't know how much longer they're gonna do this on again off again business..."

And mission accomplished. Sue should continue rambling for another ten to fifteen minutes and I should be home free. She probably won't even remember why we started talking in the first place.

*Ding Dong!*

I love this place. The booths are so cozy and comfy. I breathe in the smell of freshly made banana nut bread, and feel at home. Maybe this is why I stay in this crappy town, the orgasmic treats at the Little Sheep Bakery. I look closely at the display case and think of all the possibilities. I am definitely going to bring home a box of fruit tarts, I bite my lip in indecision. Or maybe lemon squares and croissants, but their cupcakes are so good. I can see someone staring at me from behind the display.

"I see you've come to see me. I told you I could make all your dreams come true." With that amount of mirth, I know it has to be my favorite baker in the whole wide world. My eyes slowly look up to see a smiling Seth.

"Hi Seth. You know I couldn't resist seeing you. I can never stay away for too long." The smile playing at my lips was a dead giveaway. We always have this playful banter before I order the whole damn menu.

He feigns a hurt expression, "I get the feeling you're using me. How come I only see you every blue moon?" Maybe I should date him. None of my good for nothing exes did anything for me, at least he can bake.

I give him a mock reproach, "You know If I came in here as much as I wanted, I would be too fat to walk."

"Thats okay, you'd still be as beautiful as the first day I saw you. Besides I like my women curvy." He tries to keep it light, but I can see the seriousness in his eyes. I get so flush, I have to look away. "What would you like today, Bella?" he finally asks.

"I can't decide." I bite my lip as a little moan slips out between my abused lips. "Um, I'll have a lemon bar, a croissant, and tea with cream and sugar." The delight that spreads across my face is undeniable. I think I'm in love. I rub my knees together just thinking about the lemon zest.

Seth clears his throat, "Okay, I'll bring it to you. I think your favorite booth is available." Before he turns away he adds, "Oh, do you know what you're bringing home today?"

"I'm not sure. Everything looks so good!"

"No worries. Just come into the kitchen when you're ready. We can pick them together." Did he just invite me into his kitchen? I think I'm dreaming. Seth has always been sexy. He keeps his hair long and his body is so muscular. Almost as muscular as Jacob. Maybe I should have a little fun with Seth.

"O-okay. I'm meeting a parent from the school, so it will probably be in an hour or so."

"No problem. You can have any and as much as you want today. Take your time." I think I just came. Does he know what he's doing to me? I will never count calories again. I would go on a year long soup diet for him.

I take a seat at my favorite booth in the back and wait for Dr. Edward Cullen. And speak of the devil, he walks in a pair of scrubs with luscious, tossed sex hair and a pager attached to his hip. His green eyes catch my waving hand as he saunters further into the bakery.

He has a seat across from me. "I hope you weren't waiting too long, one of my surgeries went behind schedule. I have an hour or so to hang out." He gives me a crooked smile.

"No, no you're fine. I just sat down like a few minutes ago." I take a deep breath and try to relax.

"So, how has your day been so for?" He looks down at the table, eyeing my croissant.

"Um, uneventful to be honest. I planned out the weekly activities and looked into some field trips." I follow his eyes and see the warm buttered croissant. "So how has your day been?" I say pushing the plate towards him with a smile.

"Well, I saved someone's life today." He grabs the croissant and takes a large bite. "His damn heart stopped for fifteen seconds. I tell people: you should eat to live, not live to eat. You need to monitor your food for sugar intake, gluten, and don't forget about antioxidants. Some people just don't care and I'm like, if you don't care then why should I? I should have gone into pediatric cardiology. At least when their heart stops, I know they didn't do it to themselves. I hate wasting my time on people who don't deserve it…" He goes on and on talking about his job and how he saves useless lives.

What a prick.

My eyes wander around the bakery and land on a frustrated Seth. He's staring at Edward while placing a batch of macaroons in the display case. We catch eyes and he makes a funny face. I place my knuckles tightly over my lips to hide my amusement and look away. Is he serious? Sometimes I think Seth never grew out of his childish behavior. Another reason why I think he's too young for me. I try to fight another peep, but my inner child gets the best of me. Resting his elbows on the counter, he places his chin in both hands and crosses his eyes at me. I turn back towards a vexed Edward who has caught me gazing at Seth. I blush and whisper "Sorry", biting my bottom lip.

"Do you know him or something?" Oh god, now he's upset that my eyes weren't focused on his pompous ass.

"Um, yeah. He's the owner and I come here a lot. He has the best bakery in town." I give him my best smile and take a look at my watch.

"Well you shouldn't come here too much. I was thinking about asking you to be my date to the hospital's charity ball. Of course I would like to buy you something nice to wear but what good is that going to be if you don't watch your figure." He leans slightly over the table and looks me up and down. Son of a bitch! Way to make me feel like a fat whore. seems more and more like Mike the more I sit here. I really don't need another guy ruining my self worth.

I fidget in my seat, slightly uncomfortable. Am I getting fat? I haven't been working out lately. Maybe I should skip the doggy bag today.

His attention is diverted when his pager lights up. He holds up the vibrating badge of honor and slides out of the booth. "Times up. I have to get back to work. I have like three more surgeries today, so I'll talk to you later." He doesn't wait for me to respond as he saunters out of sight.

Wow, that was excruciating. And this is what I get for going on a date with a student's parent. I can't believe I agreed to meet with him. I always make horrible choices when it comes to men.

I look over towards the sweets for comfort and find Seth leaning over the counter. When our eyes meet, he motions his head towards the back. I grab my purse and head to the back. I yelp as he picks me up and places me on the counter. He goes into the fridge and sits a chocolate surprise next to me.

He wiggles his eyebrows and cuts me a slice of triple chocolate forest cake. His eyebrows lift in question, "So how was it?"

"How was what?" I ask with as much innocence as I can muster. I'm a horrible liar but I try it anyway.

"Your date with the hot shot doctor," he says with a little mirth.

"I told you, it wasn't a date. It was a meeting with one of the parents from the school."

"Uh huh, right." He's so onto me, but I'm not willing to let him know I had a lapse of judgement. I like his hair but not as much as I like Jacob's lips.

Picking up my fork, I take a bite of chocolate paradise. I realise my eyes were closed and looked up to see Seth staring at my mouth. I give a nervous laugh and blush. I give in and ask, "Do you want some?"

"Uh, yeah." He looks a little nervous as I pick up a piece of cake with my fork and put it to his lips. Maybe I can settle for his smile. I look into his eyes and they scream sex. My thighs rub together as I bite my bottom lip. Maybe that's what he wants from me, sex. He comes closer and steps in between thighs. My lips fall lax for a moment as I feel the heated wetness pool in my panties.

He picks up a piece of cake with his index finger and thumb, then leans in closer. I take the piece into my mouth and graze his thumb with my teeth. I give it a little nip and he shivers. Moving closer to run his nose along my neck, he places a line of wet kisses. "Remind me why we never dated," he breathes into my skin.

I pull back and grin,"Because I'm four years older than you, and don't forget, your sister is my friend. I'm starting to think she's my only friend. And you still haven't explained to me why you're not coming to the dinner today?"

He picks up another piece of cake and puts it to my lips. His index finger lingers and I suck it into my mouth. My God does he remind me of Jake. I close my eyes and let a whine slip out of my lips.

"Is it good?" he whispers in a husky voice. I close my eyes and imagine Jake between my legs, taking what he wants. At the sound of his voice, my toes start to curl. I let out a moan in agreeance.

His hands slide up my shirt, fingertips grazing my bra. "Who needs friends when you can have me." My eyes fly open as I am slammed back to reality. He grips at my ribs and licks his lips. "Besides age is just a number, and we are only three and a half years apart." He never answers my question. I wish he was as tall as Jake.

I giggle and roll my eyes. "Seth please, you're still sucking on your mom's tit." That oughta scare him off.

I am not ready for what comes next. "Naw, but I'd love to suck on your tits." He firmly grips my hips, as he grinds his excitement into my center. I'm sure my eyes bug out, but I play it off, running my hands through his thick, long hair.

"So baby Sethy is a big boy now, huh?" I whine into his ear. I lightly claw at his chest, wrapping my legs around his hips. Oh poor Seth is not ready for a girl like me. I push on his pecs and he takes a step back. I hop off of the counter and grab my purse. "See you later, kid."

He takes my hand and pulls me toward the fridge. "We should be more than friends, Bella." He looks down into my eyes with a serious look. He hands me two large shopping bags of bakery goods and smiles.

"I'll think about it." I place a small peck on his lips and run out of the kitchen. I left him standing there in shock as I walked out of the bakery. I love to tease baby Seth, but I'm not that desperate; at least not yet.

" You little hooker! Did you bone my brother?" she asks as she gingerly snoops through my Little Lamb shopping bags.

I thought about it, but being friends with you stopped me from taking your brother's innocence. "Put that back in the fridge," I demanded. "And no, oh my gosh. Why would I tell you if I did?" I'm about as red as the glazed strawberry she takes a bite of.

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe because he gave you bags full of orgasms for free. Oh God, did you suck his dick?" She exclaims as she opens the lid and takes a bite of my fruit tart and puts it back in the fridge.

"Lets go! Aren't we supposed to meet up with Sam and some of his friends?" I'm getting a little irritated with her eating all my stuff. But then again, why get fat alone?

"Yeah, um my mom is going to be there, too. I think you should totally introduce yourself, since, you know, she's going to be your mother-in-law soon. I can't wait to tell her you're fucking her baby boy Seth." She laughs with her mouth open.

"For the last time, Leah, I am not fucking your brother. I mean you accuse me of it so much maybe I should just do it. Maybe that will shut you up."

She calls my bluff. Squinting her eyes, she challenges, " Fine, I'll call him right now to set it up. You should totally screw him. Then he can stop bugging me about getting you to date him." She snatches my phone off the kitchen counter and starts to dial Seth's number.

"Oh my God. Leah stop! Seriously, are you trying to ruin me?" I jump up and down trying to reach my phone that she's holding over my head. "Jesus Christ, Leah!"

"Hey guys what's up?" Quil, Embry, and Paul come into the kitchen, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"So I heard little Kenny got in trouble for being a cry baby at school," Quil blurts out as he leans back in his chair. "You know, my Claire bear never cries at school." He crosses his arms over his chest and gives me a provoking smirk.

I roll my eyes and take a deep breath and explain, "Dude, your seven year old daughter, should not be crying at school. And he wasn't crying," I try not to divert my eyes. "He was just whining about some issues, a misunderstanding."

"Wait, what misunderstanding?" Embry asks, raising his eyebrows.

"He- he calls his teacher mommy," I relent, taking another bite of cake. It would be nice to see her smile everyday. It would be nice to have someone hold me for a change. I sound like a desperate cat lady.

"Mommy?" They all ask in unison.

"No shit? You better watch out man. That will manifest into something far worse. Hell, next thing you know, he'll start dating older women," Paul says in between laughs.

"Forget about her! I don't know what to do about my son. All he talks about is having a damn mommy and-" I'm cut off my the doorbell. Embry stands up and walks toward the door. We can hear Leah's loud mouth and Embry's laugh, so we all decide to see what the commotion is about.

"Hey Jake, you've met Bella, right?" Leah says with a knowing smirk.

"Uh, Yeah. Ms. Swan is my son's teacher." I don't dare make eye contact with Leah or Bella. I really don't have time for this. Now she's coming into my father's house? This could really be the last straw. If people really knew what was going on they would swear I was an unfit parent.

"Oh please, call me Bella!" How dare she smile at me with those plump lips. Now she's just teasing me. She knew what she was doing, coming in here with that low cut shirt. Nothing is just for me.

"Well hello there, beautiful! I'm Embry, and it's so nice to meet you." She gives him a little giggle as he winks at her. He's such a cheese bastard. He steps toward her when she sticks her hand out. "Oh come here Bella! We don't shake hands where we come from. We give hugs." He pulls her in and she stumbles into his tight hug.

"Oh well, this is nice," she bubbles. Embry then has the nerve to mouth a thank you to me as his hands slide down her back. I start to see red as his palms start to inch closer and closer to her ass. My hands tighten into fist ready to take my first punch when she pulls away and looks toward Quil.

"And you must be-" she looks toward Leah for help.

"Um, uh sorry. I'm Quil." While he's having a hard time forming a complete sentence, he nearly gives Bella a heart attack. She's starting to look kind of green.

"Hi Quil, nice to meet you," she lightly utters, as if she's short of breath.

He pulls her in for a hug and turns his head toward hers. "Have we met before?"

She abruptly pulls away from him. "No, I don't think we have."

"Are you sure because-"

"Well, maybe we met at the school," she suggest.

"No, that's not it." Quil shakes it head. "Your voice is so familiar."

"Well maybe it was the Little Lamb Bakery. I hang out with Leah and her brother sometimes," Bella panics. Her knees start to get wobbly.

I didn't know I was holding my breath until he makes a loud snap with his fingers. "That's it. I knew it was you. Lexi?"

"Oh shit. Are you fucking kidding me?" Paul holds his stomach laughing so hard. I try to look away and my eyes land on Leah whose hands are covering her mouth.

And If i thought it couldn't get any worse, Sam shows up with little punk Seth trailing behind him.

"Hey, Bella!" Sam and Seth both say at the same time. They look toward each other and laugh.

"You know Bella?" he asks Seth with his eyebrows raised.

"Apparently everybody does." I couldn't stop the angry word vomit. Everyone looks at me with a suspicious stare. And Seth gives me a- I don't know, territorial look?

Seth's stare turns dirty as he goes on saying, "Uh, yeah. I know her. She comes to the bakery all the time. I would say we know each other very well." He wraps his body around Bella and kisses her neck.

"Seth!" Bella yelps and nervously makes eye contact with me. She blushes and gives me an ashamed look before diverting her eyes. How can she be so filthy?

"I knew it! I knew you two were fucking!" Leah yells and she shakes her head at Bella.

I'm so disgusted with Bella at this point, I turn away and walk toward the living room. Quil follows behind me with a confused look on his face.

"Dude, she told me her name was Megan," he hisses, plopping down on the couch next to me.

"Shut up, Quil." I'm so not in the mood to talk about this. I cross my arms as I try to process what just happened. The others pour in shortly after.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Damn it to hell. Kenny runs up to Bella and jumps into her arms.

"Mommy?" Seth asks looking at Bella like she's grown three heads.

"Son, is there something you need to tell me?" My dad is looking at me as a smile spreads across his face.

"Yeah did you hear? Bella is Jacob's new baby momma." Paul says as he pats my dad on the back. I swear my head is spinning and I Just can't take it anymore.

"No, no, no, no , and no!" I just fucking lose it. "No she's not with me."

"Dinner is ready!" Sue peeks into the living room with a half smile and a knife in her right hand. This is going to be a long night.

Kenny gingerly picks up his whole chicken breast with his fork and takes a bite out of the side, spilling dijon sauce all over the place. I look over to Jacob and he's not even paying any attention to his son. What the hell is wrong with him! He needs to teach Kenny how to eat without getting food everywhere.

"Baby, hold on a second. We don't want to get sauce everywhere. Let me cut that for you. I take the knife in my hand and wait for him to hand me his fork. I cut the chicken into bite size pieces. "Here you go sweetheart." I hand him the fork and watch him take an easy bite.

Kenny looks up at me and gives me the brightest smile. "Thank you, mommy." He's such a sweet boy. Those dimples could save the world.

Why does he insist on calling me mommy? Does he know I melt inside everytime? I look up and find everyone staring at me. "What?"

"We're just a little confused . Jacob says you two aren't together but my grandson calls you mommy. Are you two involved or were you guys together and broke up? It just seems like you two are, I don't know, something."

"No, Bella is too busy making money. She's not fit to be anybodys parent," Jacob sneers and angles Kenny's seat toward him.

"What do you mean too busy making money? The new age working mother is the craze now. Not every mother is your mother Jacob. Maybe once you guys get married, you can talk about her being a housewife."

"I don't think we should have this conversation right now, father, maybe in a more private setting." His teeth are clenched in warning.

"Well, son, you brought it up. Ms. Bella seems very nice, and I just want to know what your problem is. We treat all of our guests with respect, you know that." He takes a bite of chicken and chews slowly.

"Well, why don't you ask her what her second job is." Jacob drops his fork with a loud clang. Is he serious? He wants his dad to know about me?

"Dude that's a low blow. Don't go there." The flirty guy named Embry tries to spare my humiliation.

"No, no it's fine. I work in customer service." I pull my lip from in between my teeth and try to give an inviting smile. I have nothing to hide.

"Oh, that's what they call it now? Huh, customer service?" Jake shakes his head because I'm just so disgusting. Vindictive son of a bitch thinks he's better than me? Did he forget that he calls me for sex? That when he calls, I always sigh his name into the phone so he can finish. It's a double edged sword, Jay.

I take a sip of my wine and get ready for the show down. A little liquid courage never hurt. "Yes, does your father know you enjoy my customer service, Jay? Does he know you call almost every night?" All of a sudden Jacob can't take his eyes off of the wooden table. It looks like those jaws are sunken in. Poor Jacob looks a little flustered. His friends seem to be a little amused. I catch Quil and Paul snorting at each other. I turn my attention back to Jacob's father.

" , I _service_ men on a hotline during the night to offset my bills. Your son calls my number on a regular basis and _pays_ for my service like every other man that calls. And frankly, I'm tired of being ashamed of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to cut my time here short. Thank you so much for the meal. You have a lovely home and I hope none of this ruined your appetite." I stand up and leave the silent table. If I'd known this was Jake's family _shindig_ I wouldn't have come.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys sorry it's taken so long for this update! Since classes started back up, I haven't had a lot of time to write. Things have been really hectic. On a lighter note,I just saw my favorite movie Amelie! It gave me a little inspiration for this chapter. If you haven't seen this wonderful film, you can watch it with subtitles on netflix and probably youtube (not sure if it will have subtitles). Otherwise you can watch it in French on any free website. I did my best with the translation!**

 **Chapter 7 So the Words Eat Themselves**

 _-Amélie suddenly feels in perfect harmony with herself._

 _everything's perfect: the softness of the light,_

that little scent in the air, the peaceful sounds of the city .

 _Life seems so simple and cristal-clear that she's swept_

 _by this desire to help the all mankind._

I take a big bite cream cheese frosting and twist my head sideways at the tv. Why cant I stop crying? I mean who care about what I do in my personal life? Fuck Jacob and his stupid face!

-I'll help you. We go down and there we go!

There's the widow of the drummer of the brass band.

Hey, the horse's lost one ear!

The husband of florist is laughing.

There's lollipops in the shop window!

Can you smell the scent?

A man is offering melon to his clients to taste.

 _There, they make wonderful ice-cream!_

 _We're passing in front of the butcher's._

 _Ham on the bone costs !_

Here we're at the cheese merchant's .

 _for a Picodon d'Ardèche ! At the butcher's,_

 _a baby's looking at a dog, that's looking at the chicken._

 _Here you are, now we're at the metro station._

 _I'll leave you here, goodbye._

 _"She was never able to enter into relationships with others ."_

"I hate you so much! sdvhndbidkvbkdufjxbv I'm such a filthy ho-ho-whore sdivo zbsvn." Maybe I should stop chewing, talking, and crying at the same time. I'm starting to choke on my own tongue. Why can't I be like Amelie, adventurous, and free. Why can't I have a happy ending.

 _You're looking good !_

-Really ?

-A woman without love, it's like a flower without sun. It dies.

-Strange weather today!

Did I say something wrong?

-No. Everyone gives me the weather forecast.

 _-Talking about the weather to forget that time goes by._

 _-No, to avoid talking nonsense._

*buzzz! buzzzz!*

This is the seventeenth time my phone has rang tonight. I thought putting it on vibrate would help but it's just making it worse. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I might as well answer the phone. Leah won't stop calling.

"Leah, I'm so tired and embarrassed right now. I'm laying on my couch, half naked, shoving my last cupcake down my throat. What could you possibly want from me." I cry into the phone.

"Uh it's me, Seth-" God he sounds mortified. If I didn't scare him earlier today, I'm sure he's running for the hills right now.

"Oh God that was way too much information. Can this day get any worse?"

"No, no, it's fine, you're fine," he rushes.

"Seth-" I groan into the phone.

"Jacob is a stupid asshole and everybody knows it! Leah and Billy tore him a new one after you left. There wasn't much of a dinner after that. I mean, Kenny started crying for you and Paul started laughing at 'Jacob and his cry baby son'. It was just a mess. I just left after that. … Anyway I'm pulling in your driveway right now, so open the door."

"Seth, go home. It's late and I look like crap."

"Nope, not leaving."

"Seth, you have work tomorrow. You need your sleep."

"Baking isn't work! I can make scones in my sleep."

*knock, knock, knock*

I look through the peephole and see Seth running his hands through his wet hair. I take a deep breath and open the door slightly a peek through. He rolls his eyes and waits for me to open the door completely.

"Were you just gonna make me stand in the rain all night?"

"You were on the porch! And you didn't have to come."

"Yes I did. I shouldn't have let him talk to you like that. Bella, he will never talk to you like that again. I'm tired of everyone making excuses for Jake. He's not a twenty-two year old kid with a newborn baby anymore. If he ever does that to you again he's gonna have to deal with me."

I lead him into the kitchen and hand him a towel from the dryer. "Slow down there cowboy. I don't want you getting into any unnecessary fights just because of me. I can take care of myself." I head back to the living room and plop down on the couch.

"So you really like my cupcakes, huh?" He wipes a smudge of cream cheese from my lips with his thumb. His unsubtle change of subject did not go unnoticed, but I wasn't complaining. Seth takes a seat next to me on the couch. His lips have a slight smile, but his eyes are heavy. He looks happy and sad at the same time.

"I love everything you bake. Every time you make your marshmallow mermaid pie, It makes me feel like I'm floating in the sky. It could be the most horrible Monday, but when I take a bite of that pie, nothing else matters."

His face lights up and a small "really" falls from his lips. He lays his head on my lap and lets his legs hang off the end of the loveseat. I brush my fingers through his damp hair and smooth out the whispers that frame his velvety face. I take his right hand and observe the heat blistered fingertips. I run it across my cheeks and try to feel something. Feel alive, but only feel a lull of heat beneath my heart. Maybe it can grow into a flame that spreads from my body into my soul. Or maybe it will grow from my soul into my veins, prepared to perfection as opposed to charred and overdone. Empty pie shells can always be filled with love and protected with a honeyed glaze. He pulls my face down for a gentle kiss and I can't help but think: Is his sugar meant for me? I hope his heart is as hardwearing as his fingers.

His eyes start to close and I shake him awake. "Come on it's time for bed."

"I don't want to take my eyes off of you."

"You can sleep in my bed tonight."

We spoon under the covers and fall asleep together.

* * *

"Seth, wake up."

"Babe slow down." he grunts as his arms tighten around my hips. I elbow him in the stomach and cringe as he yells, "What?"

"Seth, I don't think we should do this."

"Do what, Bella?" His left eye barely opens into a slit as he stretches out on his back.

"Seth it's time for you to get up. If you get in the shower now, I can have your clothes washed and dried before you have to leave for work." I slowly get out of bed and grab his shirt from off the floor. He slowly get up and heads to the bathroom in his blue boxers and grey socks.

I come back to the bedroom with his clean clothes in hand. He tries to catch me eye but I look away before it's too late. He pulls his pants on and grabs his leather belt. He misses a loop in the back and I find myself in front of him unbuckling the buckle. He gives me a light gasp as I look up at his lips. When both of his hands grab at the sides of my hips, I can't help but lean forward. He kisses the side of my neck once, twice, three times.

I reach up on my tippy toes and breathe into his ear, "There's always someone better."

"I don't want better."

* * *

I think I'll have a banana for now. I should get some work done while I'm waiting for to come pick up his angle . Tomorrow we should start with the daily journal and then the number line, or maybe we should try telling the time on the big clock I just got. I bite the butt of my pen and look up towards the ceiling.

I hear small feet and feel a small tap on my shoulder shortly after. Looking down, I see my beautiful Kenny looking up at me with those doe eyes. He opens his arms up to me and I gladly pick him up and place him on my lap. He slides closer to me and tightly wraps his arms around my neck.

He muffles, "I'm sorry," into my neck as I wrap my arms around his growing frame.

"What are you sorry for, baby?"

"Daddy was being mean to you. I told him to say sorry and take the mean words back, but he said he couldn't." I'm not sure how, but he hugged me even tighter.

I need this love. So warm, innocent, and unsuspecting. I pull him back to take a look at his face. Trying to get a dose of his spirit, I look into his eyes, and see something's wrong. He looks peakish green. "Are you ok, Kenny?" He shakes his head and heaves. I grab my bucket of pencils and dump them on my desk. I place the bucket in front of him just in time to catch the vomit. I can see the thin sheen of sweat start to appear on his forehead as he violently vomits into the bucket again. "What did you have for lunch today?"

"Some leftover chicken salad daddy found in the fridge this morning." Is Jacob serious? Is he trying to kill his child! This is unacceptable. And speak of the devil, Jacob walks into the room.

"I know, I know , I'm late. Paul was supposed to pick him up, but he bailed." He finally takes a look at the scene in front of him , realizing that his son is sick. "Um, gosh," he runs his hands through the hair at the nape of his neck. "What happened?"

"You should know! You're the one that made him sick. Old chicken salad, Jacob, really? I'm starting to think you have no business raising a child on your own." It slipped out before I could stop it. I promised myself I would be courjal at the workplace. Kenny moans and starts to vomit into the almost full trick or treat, makeshift pencil bucket. I rub his back while he's straining for air. "Look I'm sorry. That came out wrong."

"Yeah, I'm um, I'm sorry too." His eyes wander around the room for a minute. "I'm going to get him some gatorade or something." He looks so helpless. Does he even know what to do?

"If you need help or you're not sure what to do, just give me a call." I try to catch his eyes but he keeps his head down. I help him get Kenny to the car. I gently kiss Kenny's forehead and hope he feels better soon.

* * *

*Brrrrrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrring!*

I clear my throat and try to relax. I pick up the phone with as much gusto as I can. "Hello, this is-"

"Bella! Bella listen, Ken won't stop throwing up. I gave him gatorade, water, and juice. He can't keep anything down. All he's been saying is mommy. I know it's late at night, but I don't know what to do. I can't keep calling Sue or my dad. I just, I need some help. I'm really sorry I'm calling you this late." Jacob is talking so fast, I can hear the panic and inner turmoil. He sounds so young and helpless. "I know you're um, working right now but-"

"Ok...um" I grab the school directory and look up his address. "I'm gonna run to the store. I should be there in 30 minutes."

I pull on my yellow rain boots and grabbed my jacket on the way out the door. Running into the store I grab some pedialyte, popsicles, jello, chicken broth, and saltine crackers. That should do it. Maybe I should have asked Jake what Kenny's favorite flavor is. Oh well, I'll take a wild guess and get cherry. You can't go wrong with anything red when it comes to kids. Cherry and strawberry should be good.

I hear a throat clear and turn around to see Edward. The douchebag doctor gives me an inviting smirk. How charming. "Oh, Hello ."

"Hey there Bella! Please call me Edward. How are you? You seem like you're in a bit of a hurry." He takes an appraising look into my cart. "It looks like somebody is sick. Gastroenteritis, maybe?"

"Um, if you're talking about food poisoning, then yes. My poor baby is sick so-"

"Your baby? I didn't know you had a kid." I didn't realize what I said until after it slipped out.

"Uh no. I don't have a kid but my friend's kid- well he's not really a friend but- look i gotta get going. It was nice seeing you. Take care ok! Bye bye." I scurry down the aisle and to the checkout line.

* * *

I pull up to a modest, grey house at the end of the road, 4715 kwáshkwash lane. Kwa- kway… how do you even pronounce that. I take a deep breath and turn the ignition off. I grab the bags out of the car and run up the porch to ring the doorbell. I start to fidget as I wait for Jacob to answer the door.

The door is swung open and my nose is invaded with the sickly smell of bleach. "Hey, you came." He answers the door with tousled hair and dark circles.

 **I will try to update as much as I can, but it won't be as often as I'd like. Hopefully I can sort my life out and get on a schedule that gives me some amount of free time to write. Tell me what you think about the chapter. Things should start to speed up in the next few chapters. I hope it has not been too slow.**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know it's been awhile. I'm trying to get the ball rolling again. Tell me what you think about this update. I know it's short. Please don't kill me. Do some of the words get deleted when you copy and paste the text on here?**

 **Chapter 8 Diving For Hearts**

 **The door is swung open and my nose is invaded with the sickly smell of bleach. "Hey, you came." He answers the door with tousled hair and dark circles.**

"Um, yeah, I brought a few things. I didn't know what flavor he liked, so I had to guess. I hope cherry and strawberry are ok. I bought a couple of other things too. Um, yeah, I didn't know what you already had." Jacob steps closer to me and gently takes the heavy bags from my hands.

"Thank you, this is perfect." He whispers. "Kenny is just waking up from his nap. I gave him ginger ale, but he was vomiting foam . Um he's in the living room right now." He leads me into the living room on his way to the kitchen and I take a seat next to a lethargic Kenny, barely watching the We Bare Bears marathon on Cartoon Network.

"Hey Kenny, how are you feeling?" His listless eyes look up at me and all I can do is place him on my lap.

"Mommy, I'm thirsty." His voice is so horse, and his lips are so chapped, I can tell he's dehydrated. I pull him even closer to me and rest his body on mine.

"Jacob! Bring me the pedialyte. He's dehydrated." I yell into the kitchen. I bring my attention back to Kenny and he's starting to close his eyes. Jesus, Jacob should have called me sooner he's starting to pass out. "No, don't fall asleep yet baby. I'm gonna give you something to drink so you can feel better. Keep your eyes open for me, ok." He gives me a soft moan and his eyes flutter open.

Jake comes back into the room with Kenny's Spider Man sippy cup. I place the rubber straw between Ken's pale lips telling him to "take a small sip". I take a deep breath and try not to get angry. "Jake you have to keep him hydrated. You can't let him just take naps and hope the vomiting stops. I mean, how many naps has he taken?"

"I don't really know. This week has really been tough for me. I just really need some help with him, you know. It's hard for me to ask for help." I look away from his pitiful face and focus on Kenny. I'm so sick of falling for assholes. He needs to pay more attention to his kid. The last thing I need is fall for another Mike. Selfish, self absorbed,and irresponsible. Can you really help who you're attracted to?

He takes a seat on the couch next to me and I instantly feel my shoulders start to tense up. He's sitting a little too close for comfort. His eyes wonder around the room before they settle on me. "You're so good with my son, it's unbelievable. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm the only child." This is all he can come up with?

"So, do you just like kids then?" I roll my eyes. Yeah, why else would I be a teacher? I love kids.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. I love to see the smile on a kid's face, you know. It just makes me feel warm inside no matter what's going on in my life."

"So how long have you been a teacher?" He rubs his hands together nervously. He's not as smooth as I thought he would be. How did he get a kid with social skills like this?

"I've been a teacher for three years now."

"Your friends with Leah right? Are you guys roommates or something?"

"No. Leah moved in with her boyfriend Sam." I give him a knowing look. Everybody knows Leah and Sam are back together. They always have their tongues down each others throats.

"Why are you being so dry with me. I'm trying to make conversation." Conversation! This is conversation?

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why my son is so attached to a woman he barely knows. I mean he's been in your classroom for a couple of months and calls mommy. I mean I can't get him to tell me how his day was, but he calls you mommy. Do you know how many times I hear what _mommy said_. _Mommy said_ we should share our toys. _Mommy said_ I did well in class today. Uncle Paul was mean to _mommy_."

"You have a sweet boy, Jacob. It's really something beautiful to have someone love you back unconditionally. If letting him call me mommy brightens his day then I don't have a problem with it. You didn't see the way he cried in my arms. It reminded me of all the times I cried in my room alone as a child. I may have lived with my mother, but I know what it's like to not have a mom." I stop myself before I go down memory lane. The last thing I want to do is start crying in front of this man.

"Mommy, my mouth is dry." Kenny croaks into the side of my neck. I quickly pick up his sippy cup and let him take a small sip. "I'm c-c-cold."

"Jacob he has the chills can you get him a blanket?" I look up from Kenny to see Jacob's dark eyes staring deep into mine.

"Why don't you just take him to his room. His bed is big enough for the both of you." I held Kenny in my arms as Jacob led us to his bedroom. Kenny's room had transformers Optimus Prime toys, Speed Racer posters and a Spider Man bed set.

"Dear lord, can you pick a theme?" The mirth seeping through my former irritation.

Jacob gives me a warm smile. "What can I say? He likes Transformers and Spider-man, and Speed Racer. I just try to make him happy. Whenever I'm not working, I try to do things with him. All he talks about is superheros and a mommy. I can only give him superhero toys and posters and whatever toy he points his fingers at. Sometimes I feel like i'm trying to fill a void, you know." His smile fades as the light in his eyes dim.

I'm not sure what to say. I just want to fix it. Fix whatever is broken. Maybe we can help each other. I wouldn't mind a sweet boy calling me mommy. His small arms wrapped around my neck. Yeah, I think I like the mommy title.

"Um, It's getting pretty late and It looks like there is a storm coming. You should stay the night." He walks away from the window and heads toward the door. "If you need anything just call me. I'm gonna get ready for bed. Um, there's an empty bucket on the other side of the bed if he can't make it to the bathroom in time."

I pull the sheets back and lightly place a sleeping Kenny in the center of the bed. I slid in next to him. I smooth his hair away from his face and fall asleep listening to the soft whisper of his breathing.

 **-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

A crack of thunder woke me up with an uncontrollable yelp. I looked down to see a dark pair of eyes that matched Jacobs staring back at me. "Hi" Kenny whispers to me.

I laugh lightly. "Hi there. Feeling any better?" I run my hand through knotted hair.

"Yeah, I'm so hungry! I want chocolate chip cookies. Can you make chocolate chip cookies, mommy?" His eyes light up so bright. the way He says mommy make me melt.

"Maybe when your tummy feels better. We should start out with something light. Do you like applesauce? In the morning you can have that and maybe a piece of toast."

"What's going on in here? Someone's feeling better, huh." Dear lord he looks like a Native American god standing there with only a pair of track pants on. I just want to run my hands down those abs of his. I bite my lip to keep from embarrassing myself. His sex hair isn't helping either. I wonder what it would be like, held in those strong arms…

"Daddy, daddy come lay with us. We are talking about all the food I can eat tomorrow. I'm so hungry daddy. Mommy said when my tummy feels better, she will make me chocolate chip cookies."

"Is that so?" Jacob slides into the other side of the bed as Kenny give him a big nod of confirmation. "Alright, lets get some more sleep. I have to go to work in the morning."

We hear another crack of thunder even closer than the last. It sounds like a tree hit a car somewhere on the block. "Wow, it sounds really bad out there." I guess I'll never get used to the bad storms that make their way to rainy forks.

"Yeah, you should see the damage to the reservation when these storms hit. You know, with all the trees around here, it's always somebodys car or house that gets wrecked."

We close our eyes and drift off into sleep.

 **-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"No, no, no ,no, no!" I burst into tears as I look at all the damage this huge fucking tree did to my car. "SHIT! Why me! I can't do this anymore. Fuck!" My hands grip into my hair even tighter. I don't have the money to pay for this damn car. The entire roof of my car is demolished under this giant tree. At this point I'm outright sobbing. My life cannot not get any worse.

I hear steps coming down the porch behind me. "Shit" I look over to see him observing the damage. "This is fixable. I don't think it's as bad as it looks."

"I'm screwed, I mean, I'm gonna have to call my insurance. Talk about my premium skyrocketing! Then I have to find a fucking an auto bodyshop . Which is gonna be some place in Port Angeles. This is going to cost me a fortune. I'm gonna have to work the damn hotline till three in the morning for months to pay for this shit." I blubber through the tears. The hysteria is causing my vision to blur. My shallow breathing is making me light headed. I think I might faint.

"What! No, no! Why would you do that. You can't!" Jacob raises his voice at me. He is starting to get upset.

"Work the hotline? I have to! That's the only way I can make enough money to cover this!"

"No! I'll fix the car. Paul and Embry do auto body repair. We can fix this, just don't, don't do the hotline thing, ok?"

"It's not like I do it for fun Jacob. I have to pay my bills. And I'll have to pay you back!"

He comes closer to me and wipes away some of the tears. "Don't worry about paying me back. Calm down. Let me fix this. I can fix this. Stop worrying." His soothing voice calms my sobs down to whimpers. He comes a little closer and takes my face into both his hands. "I just talked to Embry on my cell. The landlines are down, there are trees blocking the road. We're gonna be stuck here for awhile. Hell, probably the whole weekend. Just stay here with me and Kenny until things clear up. Don't stress, ok?"

I nod my head as we look into each others eyes. I whimper a small "ok".

His forehead leans into mine. And my breath hitches as I inhale his fresh ivory scent. "You're eyes are sort of beautiful."

"You're sort of beautiful." Oh my God. Did I just say that out loud!

He gives me a vibrant laugh. And surprises me with a passionate peck on the lips. He pulls me into his side and walks me toward the house. "By the way,call me Jake. Nobody calls me Jacob unless they're mad at me."

I pick up a waiting Kenny as we step inside the house.

"I'll hunt down some fresh clothes for you. They might be a little big but, hey it's better than nothing."

As he heads down the hall, I feel my blush deepen. My free hand touches my lips as I play the last few minutes back in my head. If it weren't for the tingle in my lips, I wouldn't believe what just happened.


	10. Chapter 9

It''s been a long time, but I hope you all are still with me. Will you let me make up for last time? - Lala

Chapter 9

"Are you seriously going to act like you didn't just kiss me?"

"I like you" kiss ,"I want to get to know you." kiss, "Why is that so hard to believe?" kiss. Jacob is so shameless and unapologetic.

"I mean, this is so sudden." Are we moving too fast? The last time someone asked to "get to know me" it was Mike getting to know my bank account. God I make bad choices.

"We've been talking over the phone." His eyes veer away from me.

What the hell was that. People look away when they lie right. Or is this something else?

I follow his eyes with my face trying to regain eye contact. "Yeah, but that's not the same." It's never the same is it. I hate phone calls. They're so fake. Am I fake? No, I like him. I'm not fake. He's not fake. So we shouldn't be fake right?

"What do you mean? I understand It's your job, but are you telling me it was just business? Did you not mean all those things you said? Were you pretending?" His grip on my waist tightens. He brings his forehead closer to mine. We start to breath in each other's air. Oh my gosh, now he's making me dizzy.

"I was -" *You got me in chains…. You got me in chains for your love…*

"What the fuck?" We end up snapping out of our daze. And now he's staring at my pocket.

It's my phone. Who could be calling me? Nobody ever calls me. "Haha, It's just my phone." I pull it out of my pocket and answer without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Why do you always say that like it's a question? Like do you not know whether or not you want to answer my phone calls?"

I roll my eyes and try to fight the smile that's growing on my face. "Seth, why do you always call me when I'm least expecting it?"

"I don't know. Look I'm coming over. There was a storm so I know you're still home. And I have truffles, yes I said truffles. I'm trying this new savory thing at the bakery, and I want you to be the first to try it. Oh and I brought cupcakes and my famous praline whipped cream, you know, just in case the truffles are a fail."

"I'm not at home." I try to turn away from Jacob. He's making too much eye contact. He's making me nervous. Like he can hear everything that is coming out of Seth's big mouth.

"What do you mean you're not at home? I'm bringing whipped cream. You know every time I bring whipped cream, we always have fun."

"Whipped cream?", Jacob questions. Oh shit, Jacob heard. "Is there something you need to tell me? Are you fucking Seth?" Jacob's grip on me loosens dramatically.

"Wait , Is that Jacob in the background? How did you get over to his house? They just cleared the roads a half hour ago. You know where he lives?"

"Look, Seth I'll have to call you back later."

"What? Hell no. I told you to stay away from him. Why don't you ever listen to me seriously."

"Seth I do take you seriously. Jesus, I won't be able to get over there because my car is wrecked to shit. Go home."

"Uh uh. No. Not gonna happen. I'm using the spare key to your place, because this shit has to go in the fridge. It's whipped cream for christ sake. Not to mention I have to feed your sorry ass sourdough starter because I need bread for the truffles. And let Jacob know, I'll be here when you get home sweet cheeks."

Hahahah. I can't even hold in my laughter at this point. "Sweet cheeks! Why do you get so goofy when you're riled up?"

"Whatever, you'll see how sexy I am when you get home."

"So delusional, tsk tsk. I'll be home as soon as I can. And don't touch my expensive bottle of wine. Renee just sent that to me." *click*

"What the fuck was that?"

"It's just Seth being Seth. Um can you give me a ride home?"

"Here, I'll have Paul come by and pick it up. There won't be any school for a couple days anyway." He didn't even look at me when he tossed me his keys.

"Jesus Christ, Seth haven't I told you not to leave your fucking shoes directly in front of the door" I damn near trip and break my ass.

"Honey! Welcome home." I roll my eyes as I head to the kitchen towards his voice.

"I'm starting to think you should get your head checked. And why do you always let yourself in my house?" I sputter as I stare bug eyed at his appearance. He is wearing the pink maid apron Renee gave me last christmas.

"The bread is in the oven. Do you want a cupcake now or later. On second thought later. I don't want you to spoil dinner." He twist his neck back toward the oven. My blue butterfly hair clip is keeping his long hair in a top knot. His strong jaw bone clenching as he stirfrys something on the stove makes him look like a warrior or something. Why is this kind of a turn on? Oh god I've been working the sex line too long.

"Have you heard a single word I said? Gosh, i'm starting to regret those spare keys." His tight ass isn't helping either. Little Seth isn't so little anymore.

"What? I'm not allowed to get lonely?" he says playfully.

"You choose to be lonely. There's a difference. Besides, didn't you tell me that girl with the from the bakery keeps asking you out?" I grab a cube of cheese off the table and start nibbling. He doesn't say anything for a moment. So I turn around to face him.

His movements slow down and he cuts the stove off."I don't see her. I only see you. Why can't you understand that. Why don't you see me." His voice is low and deep now.

"Seth" He turns toward me.

"Why is it always someone else." Why is his voice so dead and expressionless?

"Seth" I call out slightly louder. Not this shit again.

"And now it's that fucking low life Jacob. All he does is drag people down to his shit hole."

"Seth" I'm starting to raise my voice. Why won't you just shut up and be my friend.

"All he does is steal. He stole jessica's innocence. He stole Paul's dream."

"Seth."

" And now he is stealing you from me. Why can't you see, he's just another Mike. You fall for the same guy over and over!"

"SETH… That's enough" I feel my chest rising and falling in shame. My breath is labored and forced out.

"Did you sleep with him? Did you let him come inside of you?"

*SLAP*

Before I knew it my hand slung forward and met his face. He doesn't lift his head. Thick tendrils of his hair are covering the front of his face. I can't control my breathing and now my eyes are clouded with anger and tears.

"That's what you like right. For a man to disrespect you." He lifts up his head, baring his eyes, and shows me an expression that i've never seen before. Something dark and ugly, full of love. "You belong with me. Not him, or anyone else."


End file.
